When The Past Comes Calling
by Ec1aire
Summary: Daphne and Bucky's lives are growing ever more complicated, and the time is growing closer where Daphne's foreknowledge will become useless. Every attempt they make at a normal life is thwarted as more and more secrets are brought to light. It's not just them against the world anymore. Because this time, the world is fighting back harder than ever. Bucky/OC. Book Four.
1. 1 - Mission Report

**A/N: Hello, and welcome! This is book 4 of my Bucky Barnes/OC series, so for those of you who are new to this I highly recommend you try the other parts first. For those of you returning, welcome back, and thank you. :)**

 **Without further ado, I shall start.**

* * *

 **1 - Mission Report**

My hand was shaking slightly as I pushed open the door, ignoring the smeared hand print I left on the glass. I was drenched in my own blood, the deep red colour staining the pale green of my blouse and my blue jeans.

The man behind the counter stared at me with wide eyes.

"Help me," I pleaded, placing a blood-covered hand on the wooden desk in order to offer my weakened body more support. "Please."

The man nodded his head vigorously and picked up the phone, dialling those all-important three numbers. His eyes kept darting to me with equal measures of fear and concern while he waited for someone to pick up at the other end. "Hello?" he said, his voice trembling. "Um, yeah, I need an ambulance. And fast."

* * *

Bucky hadn't expected to find himself outside the Avengers Tower quite so soon, and yet here he was, standing on the sidewalk, staring up at the obnoxious structure like it was the very thing that would end his life.

Shaking his head at the frustrating inevitability of the whole situation, Bucky entered the building, ignoring the front desk entirely and heading straight for the elevator at the back. The woman at the desk clearly recognised him, for she didn't try to hinder him in any way.

"Wherever Stark is," he muttered to the air.

He was expecting the usual response of, "Of course, Sergeant Barnes," from Jarvis, so when it didn't come he knew something was seriously wrong. He pressed the button for the penthouse suite, and the doors slid closed.

Bucky rubbed his eyes, feeling his tiredness linger over him. The stress of the last few weeks had meant many sleepless nights and many mentally exhausting days.

The elevator pinged slightly when the doors opened, and Bucky stepped into Stark's penthouse suite. It was... well, it was chaos. Glass littered the floor, many pieces of furniture were broken, and there were various bullet holes in the walls.

The Avengers were gathered around the only whole table left, looking through old paper files for something.

Bucky mentally steeled himself, before asking, "So what went wrong this time?"

All heads snapped his way in a second. Steve was most surprised. "Bucky? What are you doing here?"

Bucky walked further into the room. "Daph and I sensed trouble when we saw the report about you finding the sceptre," he explained vaguely. "I came to offer a hand."

"And where is the wife?" Stark asked with a lazy half-grin.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Daphne has other things to worry about. She's gone to see a friend." He folded his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

"Genius over here created a killer robot," Natasha said, pointing her thumb at Stark.

Bucky raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "You experimented with the sceptre, didn't you?"

Stark shrugged. "Wouldn't you?"

"No. I would have sent it to Asgard, where it can't be misused," Bucky replied blandly. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. His exhaustion was becoming ever more apparent in the weight of his limbs. "So, apart from the fact it wants to kill everyone, what's so special about this robot of yours? Because surely if it were like the rest you'd have simply shut it down by now."

"He can... well, he can _think,"_ Stark explained with a frown. "He also has limitless access to anything connected to the internet. We planned to make it so his protocols were based on preserving peace but he's gone rogue."

"Of course he has," Bucky muttered. "I'm guessing his body is one of your supposedly all-powerful suits?"

"Actually to our knowledge he's yet to reclaim another body, since his last one was destroyed." He waved a hand over towards Bucky's right, and he turned to see a smashed door and a pile of scrap metal. It fit well with all the broken glass, splintered wood and ripped fabric lying about.

"And I suppose you're now trying to work out where he'll go next."

"Right now we're looking for information relating to someone called Wolfgang von Strucker."

Bucky frowned. "The Sokovian guy?"

They all stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "You know him?"

"He was there when Daphne and I got captured by Hydra last year," he explained. "Him, along with a g-"

"Wait, I know that guy," Tony suddenly cut in, taking a file out of Thor's hands. "From back in the day." Tony frowned, glancing over the sheet in front of him. "He operates off the African coast, black market arms." He glanced up to see Steve giving him an accusing look. "There are conventions, alright? You meet people; I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new - a game changer. It was all very 'Ahab'."

"This," Thor said suddenly, pointing at the image.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it-"

"No, those are tattoos, _this_ is a brand."

Bruce Banner moved over to a computer, and he quickly put up an image of the same pattern on his screen. "Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief', only in a much less friendly way."

"What dialect?" Steve asked.

"Wakanada...? Wa...Wa...Wakanda."

Tony and Steve instantly turned to one another. "If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..." Tony frowned.

"I thought your father said he got the last of it."

Bruce interrupted their little private conversation, giving voice to the question they all wanted answered. "I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?"

Tony glanced to his right, and Bucky followed his gaze to see he was staring at Steve's shield. "The strongest metal on Earth," he answered.

Steve looked at Tony. "Where is this guy now?"

Tony sighed. "I don't know."

"Can I see that?" Bucky asked, holding a hand out for the file still in Tony's hand. Tony blinked, then handed it over without a word. Bucky swore under his breath in Russian as soon as he saw the image. "I've met him before," he said sharply. "He was one of Hydra's favourite contacts. He was a powerful ally, and he likely has more missiles and weapons of mass destruction than your average highly developed country." He faced Stark, eyes and face serious. "Despite whatever interactions you may have had in the past, he's not on your side. He's not on anybody's side. If I'm remembering rightly, the only thing he cares about is profit."

"Noted," he said off-handedly. "But do you know where he is?"

Bucky shrugged. "Last time I heard his name, he was stationed off the coast of South Africa," he said, swiftly nudging Dr Banner aside and bringing up a map of said country. He then pointed to the south-east coast. "Right about there. There's a place called... I don't know... Saldanha, or something. He used to be posted a few miles south of that, but whether he still is... I've no idea."

"It's better than anything the rest of us have got," Steve said, giving Bucky a quick, grateful nod, which he returned.

Bucky blinked in surprise when his phone suddenly started going off in his pocket. He frowned when he read the name on the screen. "Excuse me for a minute," he mumbled, before accepting the call and putting the phone against his ear. "Hello?"

" _Hi, Bucky. Sorry about the call. You weren't in the middle of something, were you?_ "

"No, it's fine," he said hurriedly, frowning. "Is everything alright?"

" _Uh, well, Daphne called me yesterday morning. She had to make an emergency stop._ " Bucky's heart froze in his chest, and instantly his mind began racing with all the different situations that could have caused her to stray from her plan. " _Before you start panicking, she said it was nothing important, and to be honest, she sounded absolutely fine._ "

"Are you sure?"

" _Yeah, pretty sure. It's probably nothing to worry about, but she asked that I pass it on._ "

"Why didn't _she_ just phone me?" Bucky asked, frowning in confusion. It was rare, but every now and then Daphne still did things he didn't understand. This was one of them.

There was a sigh from the other end of the line. _"I don't know, Bucky, and I'm sorry about that. I'm just passing on her message._ "

"Alright, well, thanks."

 _"No problem. Look after the guys, okay?"_

Bucky chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." And then he hung up. He wasn't known for saying goodbye at the end of his phone calls. He returned to the main room, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring curiously at him. "We leaving or what?" he asked impatiently.

Steve was the first to snap out of it. He nodded. "Everyone go and get suited up," he ordered. "You've got five minutes, then we have to go."

* * *

"Is this it?" Steve asked, turning to face Bucky, who had changed out of his casual clothes and into the leather outfit that Stark had made for him not long after Daphne came back from the dead. He glanced at the Captain and nodded. His memory of Klaue's place was patchy, but he was sure this shipment yard and the one he had in his head were one and the same. Steve turned to the others. "Alright, so here's the plan. Banner, you stay here and keep an eye on the jet. With any luck you won't be needed but be prepared for a Code Green."

"Got it."

"Clint, Natasha, you two are in charge of taking down as many reinforcements as possible, whether they're Iron Legion or some of Klaue's men." The two assassins nodded. "The rest of us will be taking on Ultron."

Bucky glanced at the ship's main control panel, then frowned. "Hold on," he murmured, drawing eyes his way as he examined one of the screens, which showed heat signatures in the building. He struggled for a second, still not used to modern technology, then managed to zoom in on a particular section of the base. There were two heat patches that stayed very close to Ultron's cold, metal body at all times. "It looks like Ultron's got himself some allies. Human, both of them, though I suspect they're something special, else he probably wouldn't put up with them."

"The Maximoff twins," Steve said to no one in particular.

Bucky stiffened immediately. "They're here?"

"You know them?"

Bucky nodded. "They were under Hydra's command," he said simply. He frowned. "How do _you_ know them?"

"When we were attacking Strucker's base they were there," Steve said. He sighed. "This isn't going to be easy, so watch your backs, and be careful."

Stark, now dressed in his Iron Man suit, laughed. "Careful is not a word that appears in my dictionary," he said, before pulling open the main door and flying out. Thor swung his hammer and few times and then was quick to follow.

Natasha sighed in exasperation, as if this sort of behaviour was common for those two. "I guess we're left to go on foot. You guys go ahead - Barton and I will find another way in."

"Got it."

Bucky ran alongside Steve as they followed the path Thor and Iron Man had taken, and once they were inside they found the Thunder God waiting for them, but no sign of Stark. Thor gestured for them to follow him, and they crept quietly through the compound until they came to an open area full of missiles. Bucky felt his hand twitching towards the LMG he'd strapped to his back almost as soon as his eyes fell upon the room.

Across a small bridge was a group of people and one large metal robot, who Bucky could only assume was the infamous Ultron (a.k.a. Murderbot, as Dr Banner had so accurately labelled him).

"Don't compare me with Stark!" Bucky's whole body twitched with the desire to launch into a fight when Ulysses Klaue was kicked roughly down a set of stairs by the large metal man. "It's a thing with me. Stark is... he's a sickness!"

"Aw, Junior," Stark said, floating down from a very convenient hole in the ceiling above Bucky's head. The billionaire landed in front of Bucky, Steve and Thor. "You're gonna break your old man's heart."

Ultron turned and grinned, which in and of itself was incredibly unnerving, because robots weren't supposed to be capable of doing such a thing. Bucky couldn't help but hate modern day technology even more. "If I have to," he said.

"We don't have to break anything," Thor said coldly.

"Clearly you've never made an omelette," Ultron mused.

Stark turned to face the others. "He beat me by _one_ second."

"Ah, this is funny, Mr Stark," Pietro Maximoff said, and to Bucky's trained ears he noticed that the English language wasn't one Pietro Maximoff spoke anywhere near as fluently as his sister. "It's what... Comfortable? Like old times?"

"This was never my life," Stark retorted.

"You two can still walk away from this," Steve said, stepping forward slightly.

Wanda Maximoff smirked. "Oh, we will."

"I know you've suffered-"

"Ugh!" Steve was cut off by a very loud sound of disgust from their resident robot. "Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but..."

"If you believe in peace then let us keep it," Thor said, getting the conversation back on track.

"I think you're mistaking peace with quiet," Ultron commented idly.

"Yuh-huh," Stark interjected, sounding impatient. "What's the vibranium for?"

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." Ultron's hand suddenly shot out, forming a strange magnetic force that had the Iron Man suit lurching forward (and Bucky's arm shuddering slightly), before a beam of energy shot from his hand and pounded Stark into a wall. Iron Man was up instantly, racing towards Ultron.

Bucky was immediately distracted by the so-called Iron Legion, who suddenly launched themselves at him, Thor and Steve. He ducked an idle swung before grabbing hold of the robot by the throat with his flesh hand and then reeling back his metal hand all the way. The metal creature's head snapped cleanly off when his fist collided with its head. His breath was then knocked out of him when an invisible force barrelled into him, knocking him down. When he rolled to a stop, he glanced up just in time to see Pietro Maximoff smirking at him before he disappeared in a stream of blue.

" _Asshole,_ " Bucky muttered to himself in Russian, before rolling out of the way just in time to avoid getting shot by one of Stark's rogue metal men. He grabbed the robot's leg and flung him in Thor's direction as he climbed to his feet. Thor's hammer came smashing down on the robot, leaving it to crumple on the floor in a pile of scrap metal.

The God drew his arm back and threw his hammer into an approaching robot, and Bucky couldn't help but laugh to himself when he heard that accented voice yelp. It seemed Speedy had gotten cocky. He turned around to see Steve by the boy.

"Stay down, kid," the Captain said, before walking off.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Like a few scolding words is gonna work," he muttered. He moved to go and help Thor, who was chasing after another robot around a corner, when suddenly there was a flash of red in his vision. His body collapsed onto the ground before he could comprehend what had happened, and he was unable to get back up as his mind fell completely blank.


	2. 2 - Vera Lillian

**A/N: Hi, it's me again :) I would like to thank you all for your awesome support already, and it's only been one chapter! This one will probably come as a bit of a surprise... I hope. Let me know what you think ;)**

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* * *

 **2 - Vera Lillian**

When Bucky finally managed to pull himself from the strange dream he'd been sucked into by the Maximoff girl, he was leaning against one of the walls of the jet. Ignoring the slight pounding in the back of his skull, Bucky got to his feet and headed towards the cockpit. He dropped into the seat beside Barton, feeling his exhaustion all over again.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

Barton snorted. "How long you got?" he queried rhetorically. He let out a sigh. "The witch girl got inside Bruce's head, so he went a bit... mad. He had made it to the nearest settlement by the time Tony managed to catch up to him with Veronica."

"Veronica?"

Barton shrugged. "It's a Hulk-sized Iron Man suit," he said vaguely. "The two designed it for situations just like this one." Barton glanced over his shoulder. "You two weren't the only ones who were hit. Steve and Nat are still out of it. Thor woke up only a few minutes ago, but he's not said a word since." Barton glanced over at Bucky and frowned, almost with suspicion. "You seem to have come out of it fairly okay. Why's that?"

Bucky shrugged. "I think the girl just showed us all the worst things about ourselves," he said. "I've already come to accept mine. Seeing all that again... it wasn't easy, but it's not like it tore me apart. I've already revisited it enough times for it not to affect me so much anymore."

"Sounds rough," Barton said, and if Bucky didn't know better he'd have said there was a tone of sympathy in the archer's voice.

"Where are we going?"

"A safe house," Barton said with a mildly pointed look, and Bucky nodded in understanding. "How is she?"

"Daphne?"

Barton nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while since any of us have seen you guys."

Bucky shrugged. "You've been busy," he said simply. "It's not like we hold it against you."

"Nah, you probably appreciated the alone time," Barton said with a laugh. "Newly married and all that." His face flattened. "But seriously, what's up? Because I know she wouldn't stay behind unless something was wrong."

Bucky shook his head. "Nothing's wrong," he said without hesitation.

"Then why's she not right here beside you?"

Bucky chuckled. "Well, if we're heading where I think we're heading, you'll find out before too long. That friend I mentioned earlier? That was Laura."

Barton raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why not Kaia?"

"Kaia's unofficially gone MIA," Bucky told him. "She's gone on a really long vacation," he explained when Barton shot him a questioning look. "According to her, only Daph and I are allowed to know where."

"A vacation? Why?"

Bucky shrugged. "I dunno. Something along the lines of wanting to tick off a few things from her bucket list. Personally, I don't blame her - I wanted to do the same thing as soon as Daph and I got away from Hydra."

Barton nodded in understanding. "Well, Barnes, you might want to find somewhere comfortable. We're still a few hours away."

Bucky nodded. "Sure. I'll see if I can't rouse a few of the others." And then he got to his feet, mentally willing his body not to collapse under the weight of his tiredness. Gods, he _really_ needed a decent night (or five) of sleep _._ He wasn't exactly fond of the idea of keeling over. When he reached the others, he saw Steve blinking away the last remnants of his dream.

"You okay, pal?" Bucky asked, moving to sit beside him.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just saw..." He shook his head. "Never mind."

"If you want to say, don't hold back," Bucky said quietly. "I'm willing to lend an ear for you."

Steve sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "I saw what could have happened if I'd survived the war," he admitted. "I was at a dance with Peggy."

"Do you wish it had been real?" Bucky asked, genuinely curious.

Steve frowned, conflicted. "I don't know," he said slowly. "Part of me wants to say yes, because I'd have been happy with her, and everything would be familiar, but..."

"But?"

"But you wouldn't have been there," Steve said lowly. "And although this era is at times overwhelming, there are things I really do like about it. And the war is already so far in the past. At least like this, I wouldn't have had to live through the time when the world was trying to heal from it."

"Honestly, Steve, I'm not sure it still has," Bucky muttered. "After all, there are still survivors. As long as _someone_ remembers that time, there'll always be a few wounds left open."

Steve smiled sadly. "Either way, I can't change what's already happened. Part of me wishes we'd been able to have just _one_ dance, though."

"Don't give up all hope, buddy," Bucky said with a smile. "I mean, look at me. I'm the _last_ person anyone would want to have a relationship with, and I'm _married_ for God's sake! If I managed it, you're gonna have no trouble at all. You just have to let someone in."

Steve snorted humourlessly. "Honestly, Buck, finding a girl is not exactly on the top of my list of priorities."

"It never was though, was it?" Bucky teased with a laugh, nudging his friend in the ribs with his elbow. "Well, as always, if you ever want any pointers..."

Steve laughed, this time with genuine feeling. "I know who to come to," he finished with a smile. He nodded. "Thanks, Buck."

"Anytime, Steve. Anytime."

* * *

Barton landed the jet in the long, yellow grass not far from the white farmhouse which was smaller than his and Daphne's, though no less charming. Bucky was one of the first to leave the jet, eager to get back to his wife. He was certain she was fine, but not having her in his sights didn't help set his nerves at ease.

The first one to greet him, however, was not Daphne. Bucky chuckled as their heavy German shepherd barrelled into him, almost knocking the man right off his feet, barking eagerly. Bucky laughed, patting Felix on the head. "Hey, boy," he said. "It's good to see you too." Felix barked happily, then rushed away to see the others.

Bucky glanced at the house and saw Daphne already waiting on the porch. He froze on the spot.

"Bucky?" Steve asked in concern, looking between him and Daphne with a furrowed brow.

A scowl flickered onto Bucky's face, and he marched towards the house and up the steps, before he ended up in front of Daphne and roughly grabbed her arms. "You lied to me," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Daphne sighed. "I know."

"You said it was nothing important."

Daphne nodded. "I didn't want you to lose focus and accidentally get yourself killed," she said simply.

Bucky felt his frown deepen. "You should have told me, Daphne," he murmured quietly, though his voice still held that firm, scolding tone. He sighed through his nose and pressed his forehead against hers. "I understand your reasoning, but please don't hide something like this from me again."

Smiling slightly, Daphne nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

Bucky felt a thrill of nerves shoot down his spine. "Where?"

Daphne's face split into a bright beam, and she took his hand before leading him into the farmhouse. She idly waved at the pregnant brunette woman in the kitchen, who flashed them both a bright smile, before she pulled him towards the stairs. At the top, she let go of his hand for a moment and poked her head around a door.

"Hey," she said softly. "Your dad's here, if you want to see him." Then she stepped back to allow two very excited children rush past her and scamper down the stairs in search of their father. Daphne chuckled. "Those two are impossibly energetic," she said fondly, before continuing down the corridor.

She turned towards the last door on the left and opened the door very quietly, before stepping back to let him go in first.

The room was dimly lit with a soft yellow glow, the windows covered by curtains that didn't quiet block out all the light. There was a white chair in the corner, and a white set of drawers. But none of this really registered, for almost instantly his eyes fell upon the simple, wooden crib. His feet carried him silently towards it, and there, for the very first time, he laid eyes on his firstborn child.

The child was wrapped up comfortably in a single piece of cloth, a small tuft of chocolate brown hair dusting the top of its head. The child's arms were aloft, as if dreaming of cuddling the mother who was stood so closely by. Bucky couldn't stop himself from sliding his finger into the newborn's open hand, and he watched with sheer amazement as those little, pink fingers curled around it, the baby sleeping on. He felt soft breaths on the back of his hand, and it took a minute for it to fully sink in that this was really happening. He, James Buchanan Barnes, the Sergeant born in 1917, the Winter Soldier, was a _father._

"Girl or boy?" he found himself asking softly, not wanting to disturb his child's rest.

Daphne smiled. "Girl," she answered. She placed her hand on the edge of the crib, before saying, "You can pick her up, you know. She's a very calm baby."

Bucky's eyes widened. "I don't want to wake her up," he said hurriedly.

Daphne smiled. "It'll be fine." She placed her hand over his free one, giving him a reassuring look. "She needs to see her father's face, Bucky."

Hesitantly, and not without the irrational fear of accidentally dropping her, Bucky picked up the girl from in the crib. He'd expected he would be awkward, and would need help with even holding her, but somehow the little girl settled naturally into his arms. She stirred slightly, her mouth forming an adorable little 'o' as she yawned, before she blearily opened her eyes. Green. Brilliant, emerald green, gazing up at him with openness and curiosity. All Bucky wanted to do was drink this moment in, this moment with his little girl in his hands for the first time. Her eyes were brighter than he could have dreamed they would be, her hands more delicate. She felt so light and looked so perfect. He hadn't known he could love so quickly, but now he discovered the truth. He knew, in that second, that he would be her protector for as long as he lived, and his love and devotion towards her would last for all time. Beyond the boundaries of life.

"She's beautiful, Daph," he murmured, smiling when his daughter reached out a small hand. He lowered his head and let her grasp hold of his face, her eyes intently watching the spot where her fingertips touched the stubble on his chin. "Vera," he said softly. "That's what we decided, wasn't it?"

Daphne nodded. "Vera Lillian," she muttered.

Bucky smiled broadly down at those bright green eyes. "Welcome to the world, Vera Lillian Barnes." And then he brought his lips down to her forehead and poured every ounce of the emotions whirling around him into the child in his arms. He vowed there and then that he would never allow any member of his family to feel unloved for even the shortest amount of time.

The sound of footsteps had both him and Daphne turning to the door, and a second later Laura Barton stepped into view with a tender smile on her face. "The others are beginning to wonder where you've disappeared off to," she said. Her face flickered into a frown. "Did you... not tell them? Any of them?"

Bucky shook his head, noticing Daphne do the same beside him. "We didn't want them to lose focus on their mission," he explained, glancing down when Vera wriggled in his arms. She was staring down at her feet as if they were aliens. He chuckled lowly, and her eyes flickered back to his face. Then, she smiled. Her eyes crinkled at the sides and her lips parted, and, were she to have any, she would have been showing all her teeth. She let out a soft cooing noise, and Bucky couldn't help but chuckle again. Vera waved her arms, letting out louder noises, apparently delighting in the sound of her father's laughter.

Laura drew his attention again. "I think now might be a good time to tell them," she said, before giving them another smile and disappearing back down the corridor.

Daphne turned to Bucky with a grin. "So what do you say?" she asked. "Ready to give Earth's mightiest heroes the biggest shock of the day?"

"After the day they've had, they might need it," Bucky said, leaning down slightly to peck her on the lips. "You go first. Let's see how long it'll take them to notice me, since they'll all start by fawning over you."

Mirth danced across her eyes. "Have I told you before that I love you?"

Bucky hummed. "Hmm, I don't think that you have, doll."

Daphne rolled her eyes, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "I love you, you idiot," she said fondly. "Now let's go. It's been _months_ since I last saw those guys." And then Daphne pranced out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time in her eagerness. Bucky shook his head, before following her out at a far more normal pace.

When he walked into view of the lounge, Daphne was squashed into a hug with Natasha, Steve and Tony all squeezing from different sides. Her cheeks were flushed as she laughed, trying (and failing) to embrace them all back. Steve's eyes shifted over Daphne's head and meet Bucky's gaze. Then his eyes flickered to the little white bundle in Bucky's arms and his eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"Oh my God," he breathed, causing everyone to turn to face Bucky. Then many more expressions of shock and surprise were formed as Bucky finally stepped into the room.

Stark's face quickly turned into a grin. "Can I play with it?" he asked gleefully.

Daphne shoved Tony's shoulder, shaking her head. "She's not a toy, Tony," she said scoldingly.

"She's a she?" the billionaire questioned excitedly. "What's she called?"

"Vera," Bucky supplied.

"That's a nice name," Steve commented idly, moving closer to peer down at her. He blinked a few times. "Okay, wow," he said with a laugh. "She's got to be the cutest baby I've ever seen."

Daphne laughed. "Aw, thanks, Stevie," she said, teasingly pressing a kiss to his cheek and then laughing softly when his cheeks flamed pink. "I'm glad you think so." She looked at Bucky. "She's gonna love her Uncle Steve, I just know it."

"U-Uncle?" Steve spluttered.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Come on, Steve, you're practically my brother. What else did you expect?"

Steve smiled softly, rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly, I haven't really had the time to come to expect anything."

"Yeah, about that," Natasha piped up, her arms folded over her chest and a severe expression on her face. "Why is it that the first time we learn that you guys are gonna be parents is _after_ she was born?"

Daphne shrugged. "You were busy," she said simply. "You all said you'd visit whenever you had some free time. Since you didn't show up, we figured you were really focused on finding Loki's sceptre. So, we agreed we wouldn't let this distract you."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "That is the _worst_ excuse I've ever heard."

"Well, tough luck, because that's how it happened," Daphne snarked with a grin. "Also, we've come to an agreement." Daphne's grin became a smirk as she mirrored Natasha's stance. "You, Natasha Romanoff, have a goddaughter."

Whatever response was waiting to come out of Natasha's mouth stopped instantly. The assassin stood there, shocked, for several seconds, before she came to her senses and shook her head. "Why is it you're so good at completely ruining everything I want to say?" she complained, even as she gave Daphne a tight hug, her eyes meeting Bucky's over Daphne's shoulder. He easily read the thanks in them, and gave her a nod of acknowledgement.

Daphne laughed and replied easily, "It's my superpower."


	3. 3 - Evolution

**A/N: Okay, so this one is much longer than normal. Not much happens, but I think it's still an important chapter, so... Yeah. Onwards! XP**

 **Big thanks to: Seven. avengers, Love. Fiction. 2016, Jacxx, Unajet, Smile. Smile. Twitch and Lyric Dreams for favouriting/following. :)**

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 **Lara Barnes: Please don't explode! I can't deal with exploding people... XD Glad you liked it so much!**

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 **angelAnabiel: I'm glad you liked it. It seems no one really expected that. As for whether they're gonna more kids... I'm not sure yet. Haven't decided.**

* * *

 **3 - Evolution**

I was settled comfortably on Bucky's lap, his arms encasing my waist, watching as Tony (hilariously) cooed at Vera, who was staring owlishly up at him from Steve's arms. Clint, Natasha and Laura were in the kitchen, talking in low tones. Thor and Bruce had both disappeared, Thor to find answers about his Wanda-induced dream, and Bruce to have a shower.

Bucky's chin came to rest on my shoulder, and I glanced over at him with a soft smile. I didn't fail to notice how his eyes remained glued on Vera, who had taken to fiddling with the material of Steve's shirt. There was an expression of utter peace on his face.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I requested quietly, not wanting to draw attention to us.

Bucky blinked, before his blue eyes met mine. I'd rarely seen them bearing so much intense emotion. "For once, absolutely nothing," he replied with a breathtaking smile. "I'm just... watching. Admiring." He squeezed me tighter, his expression one of open awe. " _We_ made this, Daphne," he murmured, his smile softening. "I never thought that something so pure, and innocent, and vulnerable, could ever come from me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You always think so little of yourself," I scolded. "You're a good man, Bucky. One of the best. What Hydra did to you doesn't matter - you are your own person now, and you're free to be who you want. If you want to be a good man, you _will_ be. And believe me, you are."

Bucky stared at me with eyes that were so bright I couldn't help but be caught up in their power. It was like being sucked into a vortex. Those beautiful pools of blue captured me so completely that I didn't see him lean forward until his lips had cemented themselves securely against my own. The kiss obliterated every thought. For the first time in longer than I cared to admit my mind was locked wholly in the present. I had no wish for the kiss to end; in fact, I wished it could go on forever. Drunk on the scent of him, my only desire was to touch him, to move my hands under his crinkled shirt and feel the perfect solidity of his muscles, the warmth of his skin under my fingertips. Within moments the soft caress had become more firm. I savoured his lips, the quickening of his breath matching my own. A kiss like this was a beginning, a promise of much more to come.

Of course, all that ended when a certain mechanic loudly cleared his throat. Bucky and I pulled apart slowly, both of us still slightly dazed by the attack of emotion and passion, before turning our heads towards the irritating man who had interrupted our moment. He looked completely unabashed, while Steve kept his eyes firmly on the baby in his arms, ears and cheeks bright pink. Upon reflection, it wasn't exactly the best position to be caught in, but I had no regrets. One glance at Bucky's face told me he had none either.

"Save it for the bedroom, love birds," Tony said with a grin. "You have company, not least of all your own few-day old daughter. Wouldn't want her to be traumatised at such a young age, would you?"

" _You're lucky I'm not in the mood to pin to the roof by your underwear, Stark,_ " I growled in Spanish, untangling myself from Bucky's arms as Vera began to fuss.

"I have _no_ idea what you just said," Tony said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out the gist of it," Bucky muttered, his voice still slightly bitter from his annoyance.

I leaned down and gently picked up a squirming baby girl from Steve's arms, recognising the furrowed-browed expression on her face. I sighed. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," I said, stepping carefully over Steve's long legs.

"Is everything alright?" Bucky asked, eyes narrowed in concern.

I smiled comfortingly at him. "Yeah, everything's fine. Vera's just expecting a meal right now, that's all." Understanding flooded his face, and Bucky nodded with a slight smile, before snorting in amusement when he noticed Steve had flushed. Again.

I carried Vera quickly up the stairs and into her room, before settling myself in the comfortable white chair and allowing Vera to start to nurse. As was quickly becoming the norm, Vera kept her vibrant green eyes on my face the whole time, and I softly hummed to her.

A knock on the door caused me to raise my eyes. "Daphne, can I come in?" It was Natasha.

I chuckled. "I don't mind, but it would depend entirely on how much you'd care about seeing me breastfeeding."

There was only a short moment of hesitation before the door slowly opened and the assassin stepped in, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown. She smiled. "Bruce is still in the shower," she said, gesturing down at her lack of clothing. She sat herself down on the floor, leaning against the bars of the crib. "So what's your plan from here?" she asked.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ultron."

Sighing, I shook my head. "I don't know," I admitted. "I want to come with you and help out, but at the same time, I don't really want to leave Vera without _both_ her parents, even if it'll only be for a few days." I shrugged one shoulder, trying not to jostle Vera too much. "I guess we'll see closer to the time. Besides, with a child in the mix, I regret to say that Bucky has even more of a sway on my decisions."

Natasha chuckled. "So he can use your own kid against you, is what you're saying."

I nodded. "Yeah, and he will. Probably many times in future."

The red haired woman stared at me for a long time, before quietly saying, "So are you going to tell me the real reason why you didn't tell the rest of us about your pregnancy?"

I blinked. "What I said earlier was true."

Natasha nodded. "Perhaps," she allowed. "But there's more to it than that. You seemed... I don't know... guilty?" She tucked her legs up close to her torso and then leaned her arms on her knees. "So, come on, spill."

I sighed. "Natasha, I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

I groaned, leaning my head back against the wall behind me. "Because I haven't even told Bucky."

Natasha let out a hum. "So it's bad?"

I scoffed. "Bad enough that he'd panic almost instantly."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

I sighed. "You're not going to let this drop, are you?"

Shaking her head, Natasha smirked. "See, you're learning."

Resigning myself to my fate, I slowly started to tell the truth. "When I went back in time, I was pregnant." Natasha blinked in surprise. "I don't know whether it was the movement through time itself, or just some kind of internal trauma in my body, but I had a miscarriage shortly after arriving in 1937." My breath hitched slightly. "When I realised I was pregnant with Vera, it... it took me about a week to drag up the courage to tell Bucky the news."

"You were afraid of a repeat."

I nodded. "Yeah. And it wasn't unjustified, either. Throughout this pregnancy I had problems. I had to go to the hospital twice without Bucky's knowledge because of sudden bleeding. Both times, the doctors told me to expect my body to reject the baby, but I was lucky. Nothing went badly wrong until..."

"Until?" she urged, her face pulled into an expression of concern and sympathy.

My eyes closed on their own, and I felt my lips pulling into a grimace. "Until I went into labour." I opened my eyes and stared at my friend. "I was three weeks early, Nat. I was headed here when there was this intense pain in my stomach, and I knew something was seriously wrong. I phoned Laura, told her I was going to be late, and went into the first building I could see. It was a hotel. By the time the ambulance came I was leaning against the wall in a puddle of my own blood." I inhaled shakily. "I gave birth naturally, but it was... messy. I never asked the doctors what went wrong. I didn't want to know. I figured, since both Vera and I came out healthy in the end, it wasn't too bad, right? Maybe an effect of the serum, or something." I sighed. "I didn't want to tell you and give anyone false hope, just in case something went seriously wrong."

Natasha was quiet for a long time. "You need to tell him, Daphne."

Sighing, I nodded. "I know. But I'm... honestly, I'm afraid, Nat. I'm afraid that telling him will either damage our relationship, or will keep him distracted in the coming battle. And I don't want either to happen."

The woman on the floor sent me a dry look. "Your love for Barnes somehow survived over 70 years of separation. I hardly doubt a little secret-keeping is gonna end it so fast. Besides, Bucky is a soldier, and he has been for most of his life. If he can't keep focus during a battle, no one can. Your concerns are completely irrational."

Groaning, I hit my head against the wall again, only to chuckle slightly when Vera let out a small huff, as if scolding me for my actions. I smiled down at my precious little gem. I knew Natasha was right. I knew I had nothing to be worried about. But still, I didn't want to admit to my own fears. I knew Bucky would understand, but whether he'd forgive me was another matter entirely. Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded determinedly. "You're right, of course," I said with a fond roll of my eyes. "I'll tell him tonight."

Natasha nodded, getting to her feet. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and see if the shower is still occupied."

* * *

Dinner that night was split into two halves - the half sitting at the table, and the other half sitting in the lounge on the sofas and chairs, since there wasn't enough space for all of us. Somehow though, we managed to make it work. I detected some tension between Steve and Tony, but that wasn't exactly anything new. Halfway through the meal Fury ambled in, much to the surprise of many.

"So this is where you've been holed up the last few months," Steve said with a small smile. "Nice to see you again, Nick, though I must say it's not under the best of circumstances."

"It rarely is," Fury pointed out. He glanced at me, then at Bucky, who was eyeing the man with the same level of caution as always. I could tell that Bucky was still wary about Fury trying to get revenge for being shot. I squeezed his hand comfortingly, and he broke Fury's gaze for a second to glance at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, frowning. "I'd have though you'd be all over this 'Ultron' thing."

Fury smirked. "Who says I'm not?" He went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

"So what do you know?" asked Tony.

Fury sighed. "Ultron took you folks out to buy himself some time. My contacts all say he's building something. And with the amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked.

Fury scoffed. "Ah, he's easy to track; he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."

"He still going after launch codes?" Tony asked.

Fury nodded. "Yeah, he is, but he's not making any headway."

Tony seemed stunned. "I hacked the Pentagon's firewall in high school for a _dare_."

"Yeah, well, I contacted my friend at the Nexus about that."

"Nexus?"

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo," Bruce explained. "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."

"So what'd they say?" Clint asked, leaning against the counter in front of him.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed."

Tony blinked. "By whom?"

"Parties unknown," Fury stated briefly.

Natasha blinked. "Do we have an ally?"

"Ultron's got an enemy," Fury corrected. "That's _not_ the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to find out who it is."

"Or what," I murmured.

Fury frowned at me. "What do you mean?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? This is the age of technology, Nick. What are the chances that the thing changing those codes is not a human, but a computer?"

"She's got a point," Tony said. "Still, it's probably worth going over to Oslo to find our 'unknown'. I can do it."

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping, when I saw you, you'd have more than that," Natasha stated dryly.

"I do," Fury said with a grin. "I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere and ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

"Ah, ah, Fury, you might wanna watch your tongue," I said with a grin.

Natasha tagged on instantly. "Yeah, Steve doesn't like that kinda language."

Steve frowned. "How do _you_ know about that? You weren't there," he asked me.

I laughed. "Do you really think I'd have to be?" I queried. "Besides, _I_ was talking about Schmidt's Hydra base back in 1945."

"Oh, so this thing goes back a long way, huh, Steve?" Natasha teased.

"You know what, Romanoff..."

"So what does he want?" Fury asked, getting us all back on track.

"To become better," Steve said simply. "Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies," Tony added. "The human form is inefficient. Biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed," Natasha said dryly.

Beside me, I noticed Bucky frowning, and I could easily imagine the cogs turning in his head. "Ultron is a robot," he said slowly, and I noticed how everyone's eyes went to him in a split-second. "He's made of metal that can decompose and weaken. It's fixed in a single form until it breaks down. Human beings change over time."

"Evolution," Bruce deduced with a nod. "Ultron wants to evolve."

"How?" Fury asked.

Bruce frowned for a moment, before asking, "Has anyone recently been in contact with Helen Cho?"

"Who?" Bucky asked.

Bruce looked at Bucky and patiently explained. "She's a world-renowned geneticist," he said. "She and I have worked with each other before. She has a machine that can create tissue, but it has to be able to fix to something."

"Like skin?" I asked, frowning.

Bruce nodded. "Exactly. Her machine cannot create something from nothing."

My frown became thoughtful. "What about vibranium?" I asked. Bruce gave me a curious look. "Ultron's got more vibranium than he could possibly need for building a body or two. But could vibranium provide a surface for the synthetic tissue cells to latch onto?"

"Maybe," he allowed, "but they'd need to be able to actually fuse with the tissue cells. Being compatible isn't enough."

"Yeah, but we don't know all that much about vibranium," I said. "It's such a highly coveted material that most of it is locked away and remains untouched. The only people who have open access to it are the Wakandans, and they're not exactly forthcoming with their information. For all we know it _could_ allow the cells to bond."

"Well, we'd better hope not," Bruce muttered. He turned to Fury. "So where's Cho? Do we know?"

"No doubt she'll have been taken back to Seoul," Fury murmured. "It's where some of the most advanced genetics equipment in the world is. Ultron will probably be there as well."

"I'll take Natasha and Clint," Steve said immediately.

"Alright. Strictly recon," Tony said in his sternest voice. "I'll hit the Nexus and join you as soon as I can."

"If Ultron really is building a body..." Steve said, unsure.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us," Tony finished dully. "Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot."

Steve sighed. "You know," he said faux-lightly, "I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me."

"I'll drop Banner off at the Tower," Fury said. "Do you mind if I borrow Miss Hill?"

Tony scoffed. "She's all yours, apparently. What are you gonna do?"

"I dunno," Fury mused, pulling on his large black coat. "Something dramatic, I hope."

Steve turned to Bucky and I. "What about you guys?"

"We're gonna need some time to discuss it," I said before Bucky could make any immediate demands. "If one or both of us decide to lend a hand, we'll meet you at the Avengers Tower this time tomorrow. Okay?"

Steve pursed his lips but nodded. "Sure."

I stood up, moving closer to Steve. "Take care of yourself," I murmured. "I have a bad feeling about all this."

Steve nodded. "Always do." He hesitated for a moment, before pulling me into a tight hug, which I returned. "Whatever you decide, be careful. You have more to lose now."

I snorted. "As if I need the reminder," I said with a smile as I pulled back. I slapped his chest. "Now get going, Captain. You have a world to save."

"Same old, same old," he said with a smile, before nodding to Bucky and stepping out to change into his suit, Clint and Natasha having already disappeared. Bruce had gone with Fury, so that left just me, Bucky and Laura.

I turned to the woman, who wore a frown. "Everything's gonna be fine, Laura," I said, and she lifted her eyes to meet mine. "This is what they do for a living, and they're the best suited in the world to get it done."

"I still worry," she murmured.

I chuckled. "Yeah, you always will." I glanced over at Bucky. "But that's just your part of it. Worrying when they're gone and squeezing them to death when they get back."

"And giving them a tongue-lashing when appropriate," Laura added with a laugh.

I nodded. "Right. Because someone's got to keep these guys in line. And, I don't know about you, but I think it's gotta be someone who _doesn't_ add to the level of testosterone."

Laura's grin said it all, and she nodded before heading up the stairs, no doubt to say goodnight to her kids before retiring for the night herself.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Bucky asked me, "Why did you tell Steve we're gonna discuss whether or not we go?"

I sighed. I knew this was coming. "Bucky," I said slowly, but he shook his head.

"I don't want to leave Vera with the chance of losing both her parents, Daphne."

I scowled at him. "There's always that chance, Bucky," I growled. "What, do you think Hydra have just upped and left? That we're not still under threat? Whether we're by her side, or halfway across the world, Vera will always be under threat. But until the world knows about her, I'd say she's safer _away_ from us, because then no one can use her against us."

Bucky raised his eyebrows. "So you want to leave her _un_ protected, is that it?"

"No, of course I don't!"

"Then explain this to me, Daphne, because I'm not seeing the logic here."

I groaned, running my hands down my face. "Look, no one except the people who were in this house and the three doctors in the hospital who helped me give birth to her even knows that Vera exists. You can't kill or hurt someone who doesn't exist. For now, she's as safe as she's ever gonna be. This problem is gonna go global, Bucky. How do you think the world is gonna react when they realise that we, who _never_ separate from one another as far as they're aware, are apart."

"And what about Hydra?" Bucky snapped, eyes flaring. "They think you're dead. Showing up alive on international television is just gonna make them all the more eager to get you back."

"Didn't you take care of most of that, anyway?" I challenged, planting my feet securely on the ground and folding my hands over my chest. "Yeah, Hydra are undoubtedly still out there. But right now, I don't think we're on their priority list."

"You didn't see that moment from my point of view, Daphne," he snarled, stepping closer to me so we were nearly nose to nose. "You don't know what it's like to lose someone like that."

"Oh don't I?" I challenged, narrowing my eyes at him. "I'm almost double your age, _James_. I lived through the deaths of many people that I loved. I lived through _Bucky's_ death. And hell, I almost lived through Vera's as well!"

Bucky froze, his eyes widening. "What?" he asked, his voice quiet and cracking. He looked suddenly so distraught.

I sighed. "You... might want to sit down for this."

Bucky did as suggested, perching on the edge of the chair. And like that, with him sat down watching me, and me pacing up and down the room, I told him everything.


	4. 4 - The Deep Breath Before The Plunge

**A/N: Hiya again. So anyone else going to see Doctor Strange in the next few days? Cause I'm seeing it on Friday and am SUPER excited! :D**

 **Big thanks to kanka 1201 for favouriting!**

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* * *

 **4 - The Deep Breath Before The Plunge**

Bucky's silence was starting to worry me. I'd told him about the troubles with my pregnancy, and my almost-miscarriage at the end. I left nothing out. He'd listened to it all with an ashen face and dead eyes. Even though I had stopped talking, he continued to sit perfectly motionless, his eyes staring at something I couldn't see. Saying not a word. It wasn't unusual for him to think things through very thoroughly, but this had been going on for almost ten minutes, and I was starting to get concerned.

At length he stood up. "I'd like a minute alone," he said emotionlessly, before walking out of the lounge and heading up the stairs, no doubt towards the bedroom I'd told him was ours earlier. I heard the door snap closed, then sunk into one of the sofa cushions, putting my head in my hands.

Tears sprung to my eyes the moment I realised that that was the first time that Bucky had _ever_ asked me for some time alone. Oh Gods, I had _royally_ screwed up.

Sighing through my nose, I stood and trudged up the stairs, using both my years of training and my knowledge of which floorboards were squeaky to silently sneak along the length of the hallway. I ducked into the last room on the left and sluggishly moved towards the comfortable white chair in the corner.

Vera was fast asleep in her crib, her little mouth slightly agape. I smiled sadly down at her, unable to shift the feeling of heaviness on my shoulders, before moving to the chair. I tucked my feet up under myself, leaning my head against the back cushion, and immediately fell into a light doze; I was still feeling some of my tiredness from giving birth.

I didn't know how long it had been before I heard the door open. Judging by the fact there was a notable lack of audible footsteps, I could only deduce that the visitor was Bucky. I didn't want to face him yet if he still wanted time alone, so I feigned being asleep, keeping my breathing deep and slow, and my body carefully relaxed.

Vera cooed softly from the crib, and I heard a slight shuffle of fabric as Bucky no doubt picked her up.

"Hey there, princess," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "What're you doing up this late, hmm?" Vera babbled softly, and Bucky chuckled. "Keeping an eye on your mommy, huh? That's my girl." Vera giggled, and an instinctive part of me caused my body to twitch in response to the noise. Clearly it didn't escape Bucky's notice, because he was quickly shushing her. "Careful, Vera," he murmured. "You don't want to wake her. She's been through a lot recently, you know."

It would be impossible to describe the warmth that flooded me when I heard those words. I thought Bucky would feel betrayed that I hadn't told him, and perhaps he did feel that way, but that wasn't what he was focusing on. He was focusing on _me_. On my pain. On the struggle I'd stupidly forced myself to go through alone.

I could feel myself falling head over heels for him all over again.

"I think she's scared I'm angry with her," Bucky continued, as if what he'd just said hadn't been so utterly powerful. Vera huffed. I could hear that smile in his voice again. "Quite right, Vera; silly Daphne. As if I could be mad at her. Especially after she gave me you, princess."

Vera babbled again, and it amazed me to think she was already able to work out when to respond, even if she couldn't say anything or understand what Bucky was saying.

"You're a very lucky girl, Vera, to have that woman as your mother. She will love you forever." There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Once she gives you her heart, there's no giving it back. She'll do anything to get back to you." He let out a shuddering breath that made me wonder with the slightest of jolts if he was crying. "I don't know what I did to deserve her, Vera. I really don't. But I've got her now and I'm not giving her up. Nor you. You're my two best girls." There was a moment of quiet, before Bucky softly murmured, "Go to sleep, Vera. We'll be here in the morning."

My body jerked slightly when, a few seconds later, the cold metal of Bucky's prosthetic hand pressed against my skin. I blearily opened my eyes, my eyelids feeling heavier than I thought they would considering I wasn't even asleep. I blinked a few times, trying to clear away the slight haze in my vision, before looking up at Bucky. His face was so incredibly soft and peaceful, and truly, I was amazed that he'd forgiven me so quickly. That he wasn't angry.

"You know," he said quietly, "when I told you I wanted a minute alone, that's exactly what I meant. You didn't have to come in here."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I thought you'd want some space for tonight."

Bucky rolled his eyes, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "It'll take more than that to keep me away from you for that long," he said with a crooked smile. "I wish you had told me, but I'm just glad you're okay."

I nodded slightly. "Thank you," I muttered. I huffed, shaking my head. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."

"You stayed by my side," he said simply. "That's all it took for me to become yours." He stood up. "Now, come on, we should head to bed."

I glanced down at the chair I was sat on. "I'm kind of comfortable here, actually."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Daphne..." Then he surprised me by stepping forward and pulling me up from the chair, swiping my legs up from underneath me until I was being carried bridal style. He surprised me _again_ when, instead of heading out the door, like I was expecting, he turned around and sat down on the chair with me in his lap. He hummed. "You're right; it _is_ comfortable."

"Told you so," I mumbled, resting my head against his shoulder, my eyes sliding shut. "I love you, Bucky. Thank you for not being angry."

"I could never be angry at you, sweetheart," he murmured, his lips brushing against the top of my head. We fell asleep like that, curled up on the chair with our daughter happily snoozing next to us.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Laura's brows were creased with concern.

I nodded, zipping up my jacket and untucking my hair from underneath it. "We talked it over, and agreed this would be best." I paused, glancing up her. "Thank you for agreeing to take care of Vera."

Laura shrugged it off with a smile. "It's nothing," she said. "Besides, you won't be gone for long, right?"

Shaking my head, I pulled my boots out of the wardrobe and tugged them on over my jeans, which I'd change out of once we arrived at the Avengers Tower. "Only a day or two," I told her. "We'll come and get her as soon as we have a free moment."

Laura nodded. "Alright, be safe. Both of you."

I pulled the woman into a gentle hug, mindful of the large bump that was her baby. "We will." I smiled. "Don't worry - everything's gonna be just fine."

"Everyone always says that," Laura grumbled.

I chuckled. "And has anyone lied to you yet?"

She sighed. "No. But there's always a first time."

I nodded. "True. I don't think this is gonna be it, though."

Laura huffed, looking me over. I had my full weapons kit on, with my dual swords from Tony, two pistols on my thighs, four small knives in my boots, and twelve other knives stuffed into various nooks and crannies of my outfit. "I always hate seeing you like this," she admitted. "It reminds me that it's really serious."

"Good thing it doesn't happen often, then," I said with a wink. Laura gave me a small glare. "Just relax, Laura. I promise we'll be back before long."

"You promise?"

I grinned. "I promise," I affirmed. "Now come on, before Bucky starts getting impatient."

Laura chuckled. "He has the most patience of anyone I know," she pointed out.

"Which says a lot about how long he's been waiting," I retorted with a grin.

The two of us walked slowly down the stairs, coming to a stop at the bottom when we found Bucky waiting for us with Vera in his arms. She seemed distressed, as if she knew something was going on, and Bucky was trying to calm her down.

I put my bag of spare clothes and weapons on the floor and joined my family, resting a hand on Bucky's arm when I was close enough.

Vera's vibrant eyes shifted to me, and she wriggled slightly in her father's arms, a hand stretching out towards me. I let her grasp hold of my finger, sensing how she relaxed as soon as she had something to hold on to.

"See?" Bucky murmured to her. "She was here all the time. No need to panic." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then turned to me. His eyes were in equal parts sad and determined. I could imagine mine were exactly the same. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He nodded, before moving around me to give Vera to Laura. Our baby let out a slight wail, stubbornly holding onto the sleeve of Bucky's leather clothes. She really did seem distraught. "It's alright, Vera," I murmured, tickling her stomach slightly. She giggled, her face lighting into an immediate smile. "We'll be back before you know it."

Vera cooed, before finally letting go of Bucky's sleeve. Laura smiled sadly at us both. "Be careful. Come back alive."

Bucky and I both nodded. "We will," he promised, before taking my hand and dragging me towards the door before either of us could be swayed in our decision by the huge, imploring eyes of our daughter. His grasp was tighter than usual, but I would imagine mine was exactly the same.

It was hard not looking back, but we both managed it.

I slid into the driver's seat of my car while Bucky sat next to me. "So what's the plan?" he asked as I turned on the engine and began to turn the car around.

"There's an airport in the city about three hours from here," I informed him, shifting the car into gear and starting to drive along the rugged driveway leading away from the Barton farmhouse. "There's a 12:30 plane to Manhattan we need to get on."

Bucky glanced at the time on the dashboard. "We'd better get a move on if we want to arrive in time."

I smirked over at him. "When I said the city was three hours away, I meant for a normal driver. You don't have this many horses under your seat and follow the rules."

Bucky's face mirrored my smirk, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "So how long will it actually be with your driving?"

I shrugged. "Two hours? Maybe just over. Depends entirely on the traffic."

Bucky laughed. "We might scare a few people today," he pointed out.

Grinning, I nodded. "It wouldn't be a proper drive if we didn't."

* * *

One of the perks of being old is you gain a lot of friends. Admittedly, most of mine were from the war years, but those friendships lasted.

One of said friends was Ryan Abbott, who lived in the city closest to where Laura and Clint lived. I always dropped by whenever I was close.

His house was fairly large, and he always had an empty space in the garage. Today, my plan was to make use of said empty space.

"Aren't you supposed to ask for permission _before_ you put the car in the garage?" Bucky asked with amusement as I shut the garage door.

I rolled my eyes, leading the way towards the front door. "He'll say yes. I could probably get away with putting it there without asking, but I want to keep _some_ social conventions intact."

I rang the doorbell, my eyes scanning the surroundings. Bucky stood beside me, focusing on hiding the pistol at his belt. In the end I took it from him and shoved it back in his belt, silently telling him it was fine to leave it out in the open for now. He sent me a wry look, before frowning. "Was he one of our old friends who came to the wedding? Does Abbott know Evelyn and you are the same person?"

I shook my head. "Nah, but there's one thing about 21st Century Abbott I haven't told you."

"And what's that?"

"He's blind."

At that moment the door opened, and an old man with white hair, square sunglasses and a wooden walking stick appeared at the door. "Yeah?" he grumbled.

"Ryan, it's me."

His face lit up into a surprised smile. "'S been a while, boss. 'Ow can I 'elp ya?"

"I was wondering if I could make use of your garage for a few days. James and I have got to catch a plane and I don't want to leave my car in an airport car park."

Abbott's brows furrowed. "James? There's a lad with you, is there?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, he's my husband, actually. You remember Sergeant Barnes, right?"

Abbott nodded, before groaning and rolling his eyes. "Oh jeez, don't tell me there's another one oo's supposed to be dead and some'ow miraculously survived. First it was Captain Rogers, then you, and now Sergeant Barnes. It's like God's takin' the mick."

"Nice to see you too, Abbott," Bucky said wryly, sending me an amused quirk of his eyebrow, though I could tell he hadn't missed my slip-up on his name.

Abbott sighed, before grumbling, "Yeah, yeah, right back at ya, I s'pose." Then he nodded. "As for the garage; 'elp yourself. She don't get enough use anyway. Want me to keep 'old o' the keys?"

"Nah, that's alright," I said with a smile. "I have a pocket spare."

"Y'always do." Abbott nodded to himself. "Well, 'ave a good flight and all that. I got some sleep to catch up on, so if you don't mind..."

I found myself nodding. "Go on and do that, Abbott. It was good to see you again."

"I'd say the same, but I'll just 'ave to substitute the 'see' with ''ear'." Abbott grinned toothily. "And congratulations on your marriage, whenever it was. Always knew you two'd end up together."

"Thanks," Bucky said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. "I think we did too."

"Well, see ya."

"Thanks again for letting me use the garage." Abbott nodded, before shutting the door. I turned to Bucky. "You okay?" I asked.

He hummed, nodding. "Yeah. It's just weird seeing the people we fought alongside so... frail. We should be like that. Twice over, in your case."

"It's a blessing and a curse," I murmured. "Now come on; I promised Steve we'd be at the Tower by the end of the day, and the airport is still a ten minute walk away."

"Not exactly a trek, then, is it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just start moving, Barnes."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Thanks to a few modifications that Stark made to Bucky's arm about eight months back, and similar tech on my bag of weapons, we made it easily through airport security and onto the plane. It was a large plane, so there were three rows of two seats, and aisles running between each one. Bucky sat by the window - as far from other people as he could get.

I was more used to flying and interacting with the stewardesses, so I was perfectly happy sitting by the aisle.

We were sat right at the back, which gave us a good view of the rest of the plane. Two men closer to the front caught my attention.

"Bucky," I murmured.

He moved his gaze from the window, where the ground was far below us. "Yeah?" His response came with an equally quiet voice.

"I think we might have a bit of trouble today," I said, glancing back at the men again. "Row 17, two men."

Bucky's sharp eyes flickered to the aforementioned men, and his gaze hardened. "Hydra?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so," I muttered. "They'd never try to take us out in such a confined space with so many people. Too many loose ends."

Bucky's brow furrowed again. "Hijackers?"

"Possibly." I glanced up again, then sighed, leaning my head back against my chair. "Are we trouble magnets, or something? Because it seems that, wherever we go, we always manage to get involved with something that's gone wrong."

"We don't have to get involved," Bucky pointed out.

"In this case, I think we do. The world's history of plane hijackings is not pretty." I shrugged. "Besides, we're on a tight schedule."

Snorting, Bucky raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you seriously just use that as an excuse?"

I shrugged. "Considering that schedule involves saving the world from a killer robot, yeah, I did."

Bucky stared at me for a moment, before his lips quirked up at the side and he nodded. "Fair point." He hummed. "Well, we might as well make the most of the flight before it all turns to shit." And then he reached across me, unbuckled my belt, and pulled me against him.

I laughed, leaning my head against his shoulder. "You're being strangely affectionate today."

Bucky's reply was far too serious for my liking. "We might die soon, Daph. I want to make sure that, if I am killed, I can go knowing I spent as many of my last few hours with the woman I love as possible."

I hated that his words were so true. I utterly despised it. What made it worse was that he didn't know as much as I did about this. So I clung to him with all my strength, closing my eyes and praying it wouldn't be the last time I had the chance to do it.


	5. 5 - Mayday

**A/N: Good morning (ish) everyone. Happy Halloween for tomorrow! Anyone else dressing up tomorrow? It is actually going to be my first time ever doing something for Halloween, and I am looking forward to it. Enjoy this update!**

 **Big thanks to: Donny Donowitz, Pint-sized She-Bear and smolstan for favouriting/following. Good to see this still draws attention :3**

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* * *

 **5 - Mayday**

It was a three hour flight to New York. Bucky and I estimated that it would be around an hour and a half into the flight that those two guys would start moving, since we'd be at altitude then, and further away from outside help.

That left us with ninety minutes to do whatever we liked (within reason, of course - we were still on a plane). In the end, we ended up simply going over the memories we shared of one another.

My favourite was probably the one when Bucky had gone out for a drink during his training period back in the war, gotten completely hammered, then had stumbled around the army base picking things up an declaring them his. The things included were a pencil, a boot that was too small for his foot, an army truck, a pistol which kept jamming, a crumpled photograph of Steve (which belonged to him already), a fallen tree branch, the entire mess room, and me. The last had been hilarious, as he'd come up to me, wrapped both arms around my shoulders from behind, and shouted out "This is mine!". The looks we both got were a sight to remember, that was for sure. As he'd begun to walk away, I'd stuck out my leg and tripped him over. He ended up lying on his back in the mud for a few seconds, before saying he didn't want me anymore, because I was mean to him.

Bucky didn't remember this (neither did the old Bucky at the time, though he had been adequately mortified by his own behaviour when I'd told him what had happened the next morning) but he found the old him's antics entertaining nonetheless.

His favourite memory of me was during our time in Hydra, ironically enough. It was when I'd had to wear eight inch heels at some point in the middle of the 90s for a mission, along with a very short dress. I'd hated the thing, and the heels absolutely murdered my feet, but it had all been a part of our mission, so I'd done it all anyway. Bucky, who'd spent the duration of the mission camped out on a roof just in case the target made an unexpected move to leave, told me the highlight of that night was seeing me walk out of that club in the arms of two women (I was pretending to be drunk) who had mistakenly thought the blood running down my legs was because it was my time of the month. Bucky had taken me from them, and had the wonderful task of wiping the blood away because I'd fallen unconscious as soon as we entered our temporary, rented room. We discovered the next morning that my drink had been drugged, though the serum in my blood helped delay its effects.

I teasingly asked if the short dress and heels I'd been wearing had meant he had to take a cold shower after cleaning off my legs. To which he blandly responded that yes, he had.

I shut up after that, much to his amusement.

We spent the next fifteen minutes or so in a comfortable silence, Bucky's thumb rubbing circles over my knuckles while he stared out the window without much interest. I went back to eyeing those men in row 17, noting that they were suddenly a lot more antsy.

I turned to Bucky and whispered in his ear, "I think they're about to make a move." His lips pinched together and he nodded. "I'm gonna head to the front," I continued. "You stay here and cover the back."

He nodded once more, moving his hands to frame my face before pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "I love you," he murmured.

I smiled and kissed him again. "I love you too." Then I pulled back and made my way along the aisle towards the front of the plane. It wasn't even remotely surprising when, as soon as I walked past the men, the one closest to the aisle jumped up, grabbed hold of me, and pressed a freshly sharpened knife against my throat.

I vaguely wondered how he'd gotten it past security, since he didn't have special electromagnets in a metal arm to temporarily deactivate the metal detectors like Bucky did.

Several people on the plane cried out in alarm, and I plastered an expression of panic on my face to stop the men from becoming suspicious of me.

"Hey!" one of them called, pointing at Bucky, who'd stood up from his seat and was glaring at them. "Don't you move, or she gets it."

Bucky's scowl deepened, but he stayed still as I was dragged back by the man who had a knife pressed against my throat. While the other one remained in the main part of the plane, the guy holding me dragged me up front, slamming the door closed behind him.

The pilot and co-pilot stared at us in shock, then alarm when they registered the knife against my throat.

"Turn the plane around," the man ordered sharply, and I detected a slight southern accent to his voice. "Head for D.C."

"We don't have enough fuel to get there," the pilot said emotionlessly, though his eyes gave away his fear. His gaze met mine, and I saw the stunned recognition immediately. I smirked at him and winked, before moving into action. I grabbed the man's elbow and yanked it down, drawing the knife away from my throat. I drove my free arm backwards into his face, catching the knife when he dropped it. I then spun around and kneed him in the stomach. He dropped onto the floor with the groan.

On the other side of the door, I heard the other man suddenly shout, "Don't move! I said don't move!"

I could only guess that Bucky had started to take action as well. I pressed the knife against the guy's throat. "Who are you?" I snarled.

The man spat at me, though I moved my head out of the way, so he missed. "Who are you, bitch?"

I smirked darkly at him. "Not someone you ever want to go against," I said, before yanking him up by the jacket and pushing him through the door. I saw Bucky tying the other guy securely to a chair, waiting for him to move out of the way before shoving the guy in my hands into the next seat and doing the same.

I turned back to the pilots. "Do you mind if I make a quick phone call?"

They both exchanged a glance before shaking their heads. I nodded, tugged the door closed, and then pulled my phone out of my pocket, quickly speed-dialling Steve.

" _Now isn't a good time, Daphne_." I could hear the sound of fighting on the other side, and deduced that I'd been redirected (no doubt by Clint) to his earpiece. Which meant I was talking to most of the Avengers all at once.

"Then I'll make this as quick as I can," I replied sharply. "I need you to send a couple Agents down to the airport. We've got two guys on here who attempted to hijack this plane."

" _To send it where?_ "

"D.C."

Steve let out a grunt of pain, before I heard a loud clattering of metal. " _Clint, you hear that?_ "

" _Already on it,_ " came the archer's reply. " _So you guys headed to HQ?_ "

I nodded subconsciously. "Yeah, we're on our way. What's the current situation?"

" _Ultron's managed to build a body using vibranium, just like you said he might,_ " Natasha replied, along with the distorted sound of a motorbike. " _As far as we can tell, all he's got to do from here is upload his mind into it. He's currently got it in some kind of cradle._ "

I hummed. "Get the cradle back to Banner and Stark ASAP. We'll be at the Tower in around two hours, provided nothing else goes wrong."

" _See you then_."

I hung up after that, switching my phone back to flight mode before shoving it in my pocket. I turned to the men who'd been tied to the chairs, who were staring at me in shock.

"You messed with the wrong people," I told them coldly.

One of the guys smirked at me. "You know nothing," he spat back, his accent identical to his friend's.

I scoffed. "Please; I'm 155 years old. It's you who knows nothing."

The guy's smirk widened. "Bang," he muttered darkly, before the plane suddenly jerked to the right, a rumbling explosion echoing along the length of the plane.

"All left engines are down," Bucky reported grimly. "It's not gonna be a soft landing - not with a plane this size, anyway."

I nodded and headed back into the cockpit, where the co-pilot was (strangely) unconscious and the pilot was a little frantic as he tried to get over his shock enough to work out what to do. "Get the co some water and a paper bag," I instructed. "I'll take over."

He stared at me, wide-eyed. "You can fly?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Now go." I turned back. "Bucky, get in here!" The two men swapped places, Bucky entering the cockpit while the pilot left, awkwardly dragging his friend with him. "I need you to be my co-pilot," I said, sitting in the pilot's chair while Bucky sat in the other.

"You know I can't fly one of these things. Planes were never my area of expertise, especially commercial ones," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "I just need you to press the buttons I can't reach," I said, before passing him a headset and then putting on my own. "Air traffic control, this is commercial flight SWA2923 heading to LaGuardia Airport, are you receiving?"

I waited a second before getting my reply. " _Uh, that's confirmed. Might I ask who is currently flying that plane?_ "

I chuckled. "The name's Daphne Barnes, and I've got James Barnes as my co-pilot."

" _What happened to the other two?_ "

"We've got a bit of a situation, so we took over from them."

" _What's the problem?_ "

"There are two guys on board who have caused a series of localised explosions in the left wing engines after a failed hijacking attempt," Bucky reported, glancing nervously at the dash as we continued to lose height.

" _What's your current altitude?_ "

"We're at 6,000 metres, and are dropping fairly quickly," I reported, flicking a few switches to lower the landing gear. "Can you tell us where we are in relation to any settlements?"

" _Yeah, give me a second_." We waited anxiously for the reply. " _Okay you're currently just coming up to Chicago,_ " he reported. " _Based on your current trajectory and rate of altitude loss, you should expect to be on the eastern side of Lake Michigan by the time you reach sea level_."

"Really? Michigan?" Bucky groaned. "Of all the places to land..."

"Land first, complain later," I instructed sharply, adjusting the angle of the nose to try to keep us in the air as long as possible. "Well, looks like I'm gonna have to attempt a 1549."

" _Come again?_ "

I rolled my eyes. "Flight 1549, January 2009. The plane landed in the Hudson River."

"How do you know this stuff?" Bucky muttered, sending me an astonished look.

I winked at him. "Had front row seats up in Asgard," I replied. "Not to mention it was all over the news when I was younger. That sort of stuff tends to stick with you for a long time."

" _Mrs Barnes, I don't think that's a good idea_."

"Well, have you got a better one? I'm an old woman and have been trained to think in tough situations since I was a teenager. But if you have another idea, I'm all ears, because the chances of this going right are slim to none." I shook my head, pressing a series of buttons and then flicking a switch. I glanced to the side. "Bucky, can you press the third button from the left on the fourth row down from the windshield?" He pointed at it questioningly, and I nodded to confirm he had the right one. As soon as he pressed the button the whole plane shuddered.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky stared at me with concern.

I rolled my eyes. "Relax, sweetheart, I know what I'm doing. I just redirected the power going to the left engines over to the right. It should help put out the fires on the left and keep the right engines running as smoothly as possible. With a vehicle this size, it won't keep us in the air, but it should lower the possibility of us stalling."

Bucky groaned, throwing himself heavily against the back of the chair. "This is why I've always hated flying," he grumbled.

"You can fly a helicopter," I pointed out.

"I don't do it often though, and when I do, I like it to be the last resort," he retorted, gripping his chair when the plane shuddered as it hit a bit of turbulence.

The guy at the other end cleared his throat. " _Mrs Barnes?_ "

"Still here."

" _If you really are going to attempt a 1549, there's not much more I can do to help. Are you sure that's going to be your final course of action?_ "

I pursed my lips, then exhaled heavily. "In the time we've been talking, we've dropped more than 3,000 metres. I'm not sure I have enough time to do anything else."

" _Then I wish you the best of luck. Anything you want me to do on this end?_ "

I paused, then said, "Yeah. I doubt you'll do it because it sounds insane, but if you get the chance I want you to head over to Manhattan and the Avengers Tower. If you tell them you came under my instructions, they should let you in. Tell those guys to stick together no matter what, because one day the government is gonna be all over their asses and that'll be the time they need each other most."

"Oh," Bucky piped up, "and tell Steve to stop picking fights and go out on a date for once. And tell him to stop settling for second best, 'cause he's worth more than that."

There was a pause on the other end. " _Are you serious?_ "

"I don't think now's really the time to be making jokes," I pointed out.

" _I suppose you're right,_ " he muttered. " _Okay, I'll see what I can do. Anything else?_ "

"Yeah," Bucky said suddenly. "Tell Steve and Natasha that it's their job to look after Vera. And that if they ever do anything to hurt her, we'll haunt them to the ends of the Earth."

The man chuckled. " _Yes, sir. Good luck out there. You'll need it_."

"If somehow this thing doesn't disintegrate on impact with the water, send the order to get the passengers and official pilots out first," Bucky instructed. "We're more durable than they are. Get us out last."

The guy on the other end sighed, before dully repeating, " _Yes, sir_." Then the line broke, and Bucky and I pulled our headsets off our heads, chucking them haphazardly on the floor.

"You really think you can do this?" Bucky asked me, pinching his brows together.

I sighed. "I know what to do," I informed him. "However, the margin for error is tiny. Planes aren't exactly designed to float, but if you hit the water at the right angle, they will."

"And that's what happened with the other flight you were talking about?"

Nodding, I flicked another switch, opening the communication between the cockpit and the rest of the plane. I pulled out the microphone and spoke into it, hearing my voice echo from behind me. "This is your temporary pilot speaking. As I'm sure you are all aware, we have total engine failure on the left wing. Due to our current location and altitude, we have no choice but to attempt a water landing on Lake Michigan. Expect a rough landing in the next minute or so. In the meantime, I want you all to get into a brace position and wait for any further instructions. I know it seems counterproductive, but do not do up your belts. Should you need to make a quick escape, they will only slow you down. And someone untie the hijackers. Regardless of whether or not they're behind this, they don't need us taking away from their chances of survival." I put the microphone back and peered out the windshield, seeing the expanse of water only a few hundred metres below me. I glanced at Bucky. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Imminent death isn't exactly a new thing for me. Although this seems frighteningly more real."

I nodded. "I know what you mean." I glanced at him, feeling my heart pick up pace in my chest. I reached across and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. He squeezed back, his own eyes misty as he met my gaze.

"I love you."

We both said it at the same time, and with one last sad smile I pulled my hand away and turned back to the controls. I angled the plane so the rear end was closer to the ground, and got the wings as level as possible.

As soon as the tail hit the water, the front of the plane snapped forward, crashing into the lake with enough force to break the nose away from the rest of the plane.

Bucky and I were instantly plunged into the freezing water.

I reached out to grab his hand again, but the nose of the plane dragged me down, and not even I was strong enough to swim against it, no matter how hard I tried. I felt my body fall limp as I drifted deeper into the water, felt the water flood my lungs as they tried to suck in air. My limbs became heavy, and blackness swarmed my vision.


	6. 6 - The Return

**A/N: *waves* Hi all! I know this update is a little bit later than usual, but hopefully you're not too mad at me for it. I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween, regardless of whether or not you did anything Halloween-y. :)**

 **Big thanks to: Em-x. everlasting, Dandelion90 and Zelga Lim Li for following/favouriting :L**

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 **Lara Barnes: Gald to hear it ;)**

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* * *

 **6 - The Return**

Bucky sucked in an urgent gasp of air, surfacing only long enough to fill his lungs before ducking down again. He swam deeper into the water with powerful kicks of his legs and strong thrusts of his arms, his sight fading the deeper he went.

His lungs screamed at him, but he kept going until he finally caught sight of Daphne slowly sinking deeper. His real arm wrapped itself around her before he pushed back up towards the surface.

His body was about to give in when he burst into the open air, spluttering for breath as he pulled Daphne's head above the water and swam for the shore, which was at most thirty metres away.

Miraculously, while the nose of the plane had sunk, the rest of the plane was floating, though wobbling quite a lot and steadily filling with water. The passengers were hurriedly disembarking, wearing life jackets and holding hands with at least one other person as they stepped onto the wings of the plane and then began swimming for the shore.

A few seemed to be looking for him and Daphne, but he didn't bother calling out to them. As soon as he had pulled both him and his wife onto the shore, Bucky knelt down beside her and pressed two shaking fingers against her throat.

He waited.

No pulse.

Ignoring the tear in his heart at the revelation, he desperately began pressing his hands against her chest the way he'd seen people do out in the field while they'd been under Hydra, trying to pump the water out of her lungs.

 _One, two, three, four, five._

He ducked his head and sealed his lips to hers, blowing a lungful of air into her mouth. Her ribcage expanded under his fingers.

 _One, two, three, four, five._

"Come on," he muttered, ducking his head again. Another lungful of air.

 _One, two, three, four, five._

"Come on, Daphne. Please."

And another.

 _One, two, three, four, five._

"Don't give up on me, doll. Don't give up on me. Please, Daphne. Wake up."

By the fourth lungful he was openly sobbing, his whole body shaking. He cradled her face in his hands, hoping and praying with every cell in his body that she would take that breath he sorely needed her to take. He had been fully prepared to die alongside her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to survive without her. Not even Vera could change that, as much as it pained him to admit it.

He grit his teeth and tried again.

 _One, two, three, four, five._

This time, when his lips met hers, she sucked in a breath on her own. He flew back, eyes wide, as Daphne convulsed and then turned onto her side, coughing up the rest of the water in her lungs, sucking in greedy gulps of air.

Bucky couldn't stop himself from scooping her up in his arms, holding her tightly to him as he trembled, sobbing silently into her shoulder.

"W-What happened?" Her voice was croaky and rough, like sandpaper on wood. But Gods, never had she sounded so stunning.

He pulled back and kissed her, trying to convince himself that she was alive. That she was going to be okay. That he didn't have to live without her.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered. "You..."

"I... what?" she asked, pushing him away weakly. "James?"

Bucky swallowed thickly. "You... You died, Daphne. You weren't breathing. Your heart had stopped. I feared..." He cut himself off again, wincing at how real the possibility had been that he would have to live through her death _again_. He couldn't lose her again. He wasn't strong enough.

Daphne pressed a cold and clammy hand against his cheek, thumb brushing his skin. "I'm okay, sweetheart," she murmured. "I'm okay. We're both okay." And then she kissed him again, and the world fell away beneath him.

* * *

Ben Carling couldn't believe this was what his life had turned to as he was escorted to the laboratory floor of the Avengers Tower by artificial intelligence, of all things. The voice had called itself JARVIS. Whatever that meant.

The doors opened, and he was greeted by a very strange sight. Two men were standing beside a cuboid shape, but both turned to face him when he stepped gingerly into the room. In doing so, they revealed themselves to be Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Iron Man and the Hulk.

Just _who_ were the people he'd been talking to on that plane barely four hours before?

"Who are you?" Stark asked him coldly, his body tensing.

Ben swallowed nervously. "I'm here to deliver a message from a man and a woman I spoke to not long ago."

Stark frowned. "Um, I don't think you have the right address."

Ben couldn't help but smile wryly. "No, this is the right place. I have three messages, for all of you, um... Steve, I think? And another whose name was Nat-something."

"Natasha?" Banner asked quietly.

"Yeah, that was it."

"Who were these people?" Stark asked him.

"Mr and Mrs Barnes."

Their reactions were instantaneous. Their eyes widened, their bodies froze, and expressions of absolute horror and terror appeared on their faces. "What did they say?" Stark asked urgently.

Ben blinked. "Um... the woman-"

"Daphne."

"Right. Daphne said that you had to stick together no matter what. And... something about the government being all up in your asses soon. Then Mr Bar- uh, James, said that Steve had to stop picking fights, go out on a date, and stop settling for second best, because he's worth more than that...?" He trailed off at the end, unsure if he'd remembered right.

"What about Natasha?" Banner's voice was careful and quiet, and sent shivers down Ben's spine.

"James said that she and Steve have to look after a girl called Vera... I think? And that if they hurt her they'll haunt them, and I quote, to the ends of the Earth."

"Why?" Stark choked out. "Why are you telling us this?"

Ben blinked. "Haven't you heard? It's all over the news."

"JARVIS!"

"Yes, sir."

A large screen appeared from nowhere, showing the footage of several different news stations. They all were focused on the same story - the remainder of the plane in Lake Michigan. There was nothing but the vertical stabiliser sticking out from the water.

"Mr and Mrs Barnes were piloting the plane," Ben said softly, even as Stark and Banner stared at the footage in front of them. "No one saw them come out of the lake after the nose went under."

Ben flinched when Stark suddenly let out a yell, throwing something - a wrench, it looked like - at the wall. Banner's face was contorted with sorrow as he stood stock still, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I'm sorry," Ben whispered, watching as the two men, who were incredibly famous for being strong and courageous, struggled with the news of this loss.

* * *

Ben was still in the Tower when Captain America (apparently _this_ was Steve) and two other people entered the room. A fourth, who was Hawkeye, joined a moment later.

"What's going on?" Captain America asked, seeing how Stark and Banner were sat on the floor, heads in hands.

"Their plane was blown out of the sky by the hijackers," Stark replied blandly, having squeezed the whole story out of a mildly unwilling Ben not long before. "They never emerged from the water."

It took only two seconds for the meaning to sink in, and suddenly Captain America had to support himself against a wall. His face broke. "Are they...?" He clearly couldn't finish.

"They didn't surface, Rogers!" Stark suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet. "What else could that mean?!"

Rogers blinked, sagging against the wall. "Buck..." He muttered, flinching. "Daph..." He then spun and punched the wall, leaving a dent the size of his fist. He was breathing heavily as his head leaned against the wall again. "Vera?" he asked, glancing only briefly at Ben, before facing his friends again.

"According to Carling here, Bucky said that you and Nat have custody of her," Banner stated emotionlessly. He just looked kind of... dead. Ben hadn't realised how much like a family this group were. He thought they were just teammates, but no... They were brothers and sisters... And they'd lost some of their own.

Steve shook his head. "I can't," he muttered. "I can't replace them."

"So don't," Stark said, and it was the strongest his voice had been for a while. "But we can't leave Vera on her own. She needs her family. We just... don't become her parents."

Ben didn't realise Vera was their daughter. He knew he should have done, but his mind had been so sluggish that he never made the connection. Daphne and Bucky had been parents. They'd sacrificed themselves even though they had a daughter waiting for them.

Ben couldn't help but respect them for that. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make in the first place, but with a kid in the equation...

And they'd done it without hesitating.

The room lapsed into a heavy silence, broken by the sound of JARVIS' voice. "Mr Stark, we have a transmission coming in from a nearby helicopter."

"I'm not interested," Stark muttered.

There was another brief pause.

"Sir, I'm afraid the pilot is insisting."

Stark groaned. "Fine, then play it!"

There was a slight crackle, followed by a familiar voice. " _This is Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, requesting permission to land_." Everyone, even Ben, perked up at the sound of that voice.

Stark rushed to his computer. "Barnes, you son of a bitch!" he cried. "Get your ass down here now."

Barnes' laugh on the other end was echoed by another, lighter laugh. " _Eloquent as ever, Tony,_ " Daphne Barnes teased.

Stark let out a breathless laugh, before he and the other Avengers rushed towards the hangar, leaving Ben alone with the two strangers. The three of them exchanged glances, then curiously followed the rest outside.

* * *

Bucky landed the helicopter with incredible ease and skill, before turning to me and helping me up. My strength was returning, but my limbs still felt a little wobbly, and he refused to let me go regardless.

He all but carried me out of the helicopter, where we were instantly greeted by our eager friends.

Steve drew us into a tight embrace, and I was surprised by the sudden show of affection. "Um, yeah, hi, Steve," I muttered patting his back. "What's with the hug?"

He frowned. "We were told you didn't survive. That you never made it out of the water."

"I didn't," I said simply.

"Daphne..."

I cringed. "Sorry, Bucky, but you know it's true.

"I do know," he agreed. "I was there. And believe me when I say it'll give me nightmares for the rest of my life."

Steve frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I drowned," I stated calmly. "Bucky brought me back after dragging me to shore. As a result, I have a pounding headache, a sore throat, and limbs that weigh twice as much as usual."

I jumped when Tony suddenly attacked me, also hugging me to death. "You need to stop dying on us, Daffy," he muttered, pulling back. "Not sure we can take another round."

"Seriously? Daffy?"

He smiled crookedly at me. "I'll work on it," he promised.

"How do you guys all know about that?" Bucky asked in confusion.

Tony pointed behind him, where three others were stood away from the rest. "He told us. Said he'd been talking to you on the plane before it crashed."

My eyes widened as I stared at the unfamiliar man standing beside the Maximoff twins. "You made it here already?"

He shrugged. "I came over here as soon as my shift was over," he explained shortly. "I arrived about a half hour ago." He smiled. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks for keeping us company," I said with a grin. "And thanks for delivering our messages, even if it wasn't necessary in the end. Sorry for making you come all the way here."

He shrugged. "I live in the Bronx, so it's not far. Besides, I got to meet some of the Avengers. I'd say it was worth the trip."

I nodded. "Thanks anyway."

He nodded, before rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'd better get going. See ya, I suppose."

"Hey," Bucky called after him. "What's your name?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Ben Carling," he replied.

Bucky smiled. "Thanks, Ben."

Ben nodded again with a smile, before walking away.

I turned to the others, then frowned. "Where's Natasha?"

The mood dropped instantly. "She was taken," Clint said lowly.

"By Ultron?" They nodded. I scowled. "I'm gonna gut the bastard." I blinked, then turned to the twins. I smiled. "Wanda!"

She gave a shy wave. "Hi again." She looks sheepish. "Sorry about... you know... last time."

I shrugged. "It's fine, you were just doing as you were told. Under Hydra, I know how important that is." I glanced at the male. "And you must be Pietro." I held out a hand to him. "Daphne Barnes, formerly Sparrow."

He smirked and shook my hand. "I know who you are," he said, his accent far thicker than Wanda's. "Wanda told me."

I nodded. "Unsurprising." I turned back to face the others, seeing that Bucky was patiently reassuring Steve that we were okay. It was then that I realised he'd let me go, and I was walking perfectly fine on my own. My legs still ached and seemed to drag, but they worked, at the very least.

I turned to walk inside, the twins following closely behind me. The others trailed afterwards.

Heading straight for the cradle, I peered through the glass at the red face of Vision. "Hello there," I muttered. "Try not to break too many things when you're let out, hmm?" I glanced up when I heard Tony's shoes hit the metal floor. "How far have you gotten with getting the cradle open?" I asked him.

He blinked in surprise, before shrugging. "Not far. Whenever we try to manually override the system, it locks us out."

"Well, yeah it would," I stated, confused that they had even tried. "It's a living body, Tony. Without a brain, it can't function. Ultron was going to be its brain, before we took it from him."

"Are you insane?" Steve asked, frowning. "That thing is dangerous."

"When I looked inside its head, all I saw was the world's ending," Wanda murmured.

"Was this while Ultron was uploading himself?" I asked. She nodded. "Then what you saw was Ultron's conscious thoughts, not this body's. Right now, it's just a vessel; a shell for a mind and a soul."

"And you suggest we wake it up?" Steve asked incredulously.

"It has an Infinity Stone on its head," Bucky murmured quietly, peering through the glass at said stone. "This is still part machine. If we can somehow... I dunno... _manufacture_ a brain that works with our goals and ideals, not only would we have a powerful ally, we'd also have someone we know and trust looking after one of the most volatile weapons in the known universe."

"Since when did you know so much about this sort of stuff?"

"Since I was trained by Hydra to think like a machine, and my wife came to possess one of the Stones herself," he responded dryly to the billionaire, who pursed his lips.

"Hang on, back up a second," Bruce suddenly said. He pointed at the Maximoff twins. "Can someone please tell me what the hell they're doing here?"

Wanda winced. "Look, I know you're angry-"

"Oh, no," Bruce cut in coldly, narrowing his eyes at her. "We're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

"If you try, you'll be going against me as well," I told him darkly, eyes flashing when his shocked gaze met mine.

"How do we know she's not in your head?" Bruce questioned, frowning. "Or mine, or Steve's?"

"Because I know what I'm seeing is real," I said simply. "She's been inside my head before. You notice things about the experience that you wouldn't notice in real life." I smirked. "Also, if she were in _your_ head, you'd probably be rampaging through Brooklyn by now." I looked back at the cradle. "So what's the plan from here?"

"Well, before you guys showed up, Banner and I were actually working on transferring JARVIS over to the body," Tony said with a shrug. "We... didn't get very far."

"Simply inserting a mind is not going to be enough, I don't think," Bucky muttered, leaning on the cradle, tapping his metal finger on the glass while he thought. "If this really is capable of living like a human being, then it'll need something to kick-start it's heart."

"Like a defibrillator?" Bruce asked.

Bucky nodded. "Exactly."

At that moment, a determined-looking Norse Prince waltzed in. His hammer was in his hand and, knowing what he intended to do, I pulled Bucky back away from the cradle. The others followed our example, though it was clear not all of them knew what was going to happen. Thor jumped onto the cradle, raised his hammer in the air, and then brought it down, filling the entire room with crackling lightning.

Barely two seconds later, he was launched across the room.


	7. 7 - Surprise News

**A/N: So this one is shorter, but there are more feels. I think that's all that needs to be said, really...**

 **Big thanks to heyhaley17 for following :)))**

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* * *

 **7 - Surprise News**

It was almost amusing, seeing everyone scramble to attack the newly born android. Bucky and I stayed out of it, watching with keen eyes as Thor picked up the Vision's body and threw him towards one of Stark's floor-to-ceiling windows. He held up a hand to stop anyone else advancing.

I wondered what was going through the Vision's head as he stared out at the vibrant city, the bright light illuminating the darkness of the night. How many lives were down there? How many innocent souls? I began to wonder at that myself, only to be broken from my thoughts when the Vision turned and floated back towards us, clothes forming from nothing to frame his body.

"I'm sorry, that was... odd," he murmured, and the British voice of JARVIS escaped his mouth. Even though I knew it was coming, it was a strange thing to experience in person. He turned to Thor. "Thank you."

"Thor?" Steve asked. "You helped create this?"

"I had a vision," Thor explained. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at it's centre is that." He pointed at the Stone on the Vision's forehead. "It's the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones."

"Then why would you bring it to-?"

"Because Stark is right."

"Oh, it's definitely the end times," Banner muttered, and I heard Bucky huff in amusement beside me.

Thor shook his head. "The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," he said lowly.

"Not alone," Vision murmured, his eyes planting themselves onto me. They narrowed in scrutiny, almost as if he recognised me.

"We did it," Tony said in awe, looking over the Vision as his eyes moved off of me. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding, sending Bucky a grateful smile when he rubbed my back soothingly. "We made something completely new."

"I think I've had my fill of 'new'," Steve said scathingly.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron," Vision noted with the smallest hint of a smile, as if such a thing was a joke.

Steve frowned. "Aren't you?"

"I'm not Ultron," came the immediate reply. "I'm not JARVIS. I am..." He frowned. "I am..."

"A vision of what could be," I murmured, and his gaze flew back to me.

Wanda stepped forward, her whole body tense. I could tell she was still uneasy around him. "I looked in your head and saw annihilation," she breathed.

Vision looked imploringly at her. "Look again."

"Yeah, her seal of approval means jack to me," Clint scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

Thor glanced at the twins. "Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself... They all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side..."

"Is it?" Steve cut in sharply, still clearly not happy about all this. He looked at Vision. "Are you? On our side?"

Vision frowned. "I don't think it's that simple."

"Well, it better get simple real soon," Clint muttered darkly.

Vision thought out his answer for maybe half a second before answering. "I'm on the side of life," he said decisively. "Ultron isn't - he will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony and Bucky asked at the same time, exchanging a quick glance afterward.

"You," Vision said simply.

"Where?"

"Sokovia," Clint said. "He's got Nat there too."

Bruce looked at the Vision again, narrowing his eyes. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be..."

"What will you do?" Vision asked, sounding genuinely curious. It didn't take long for the unspoken answer to register in his newborn mind. "I don't want to kill Ultron," he admitted, causing a few of the others to bristle. "He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others." His face took on a contemplative expression. "Maybe I _am_ a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. There may be no way to know if you can trust me."

"I trust you," I said firmly, much to the obvious shock of the others.

All except Bucky, who just smirked at me, then nodded. "So do I."

Vision blinked. "Why?"

"Because with no experience of the human world, you're already choosing to do the right thing," Bucky said simply. "You've got no one to sway your decision left or right, yet you chose the path that we try to walk as much as we can. And I don't think you're quite experienced enough to lie to us, anyway." He shrugged. "Besides, it's always good to have such a powerful weapon in ally hands."

The Vision glanced at me. "You already do."

That caused everyone to snap to attention. "What?" Steve asked, body tensing for a fight.

The Vision blinked, as if our ignorance came as a surprise. He looked back at me. "Silverthorn," he said. "She has the Time Stone."

I shook my head. "Not in this time. A friend and I deliberately made it so the Stone could never be handled by anyone but us."

He smiled sadly. "The universe does not work that way. There are several rules that must always be followed. One is that no being, or Stone, may be in two places at any one time. As soon as you go to another time, the Time Stone already present in that time replaces the one that just disappeared from the future."

I blinked. "So you're saying that the moment I went back to 1937, the Time Stone from that moment came to 2014?"

He nodded. "Precisely."

"Then where is it?" Bucky asked. "Because you said it's with Daphne, when clearly it is not."

Vision sighed. "The Time Stone is not supposed to move through time without a host. It loses its shape when it does that, because its energy is dispersed during the transition. It will latch onto another host until it has fully reformed. In this case, because your body is already familiar with the Stone's energy, it latched onto you."

"So," I said slowly, my eyes going wide, "what you're saying is..."

"At this moment, you _are_ the Time Stone."

"Well," I said in a false light tone. "I didn't see that coming."

"But isn't the Time Stone supposed to keep her alive?" Tony questioned with a frown. "I mean... she just drowned. Not half a day ago"

"The Stone only heals what the body can't heal itself, right?" Bruce said in response. "What if it somehow knew that Daphne was gonna be okay in the end? That might have stopped it from reacting when she fell in the lake."

"What about Vera?" Bucky suddenly asked, eyes flashing wide with alarm even as he stepped beside me and clutched onto my hand. I grasped his tightly in return, trying desperately to process what I'd just been told. That there was a powerful, alien _weapon_ swarming _inside_ me... I guessed now I knew how Jane must have felt. "Daphne carried and gave birth to her while the Time Stone was in her. Is Vera going to be okay?"

Vision nodded slowly. "While your child was in her body, the Time Stone will have been keeping both alive, as while a child is within its mother they are physically joined. As soon as your child was born, that connection would have been broken. There should be no averse affects."

I felt my legs go weak, and Bucky had to tightly hold onto me while tears swarmed in my eyes. "Are you saying that, without the Stone, my baby would have died?" I asked quietly, and suddenly the room grew very quiet and very tense. Only Bucky and Natasha knew about all my problems. And one of them wasn't here. "I had two almost-miscarriages, and then miraculously my baby was fine a day later. That was the Stone?"

The Vision gave me something akin to a sympathetic look while he nodded. I felt my body try to collapse again, my mind processing just what that meant. Once the Time Stone was completely reformed, it wouldn't protect any future children I may have. And with my track record of miscarriages... Bucky and I may never be able to have another child.

One glance at Bucky's expression told me he had realised the same thing. All at once I found myself gathered tightly in Bucky's arms and I clung to him just as tightly.

" _I'm sorry,_ " I murmured in Russian. " _I'm sorry._ "

" _Don't apologise,_ " he hissed back, squeezing me tighter. " _Don't you dare_."

" _I'm gonna be the reason you can't have your dream family, Bucky,_ " I sobbed. " _I'm gonna be the reason I can't have mine. I'm sorry to have taken that from you._ "

He took my face in his hands and said firmly, " _We don't know that. We might still be able to have more kids if we want to. You had a bad run; so what? It happens to a lot of people. It doesn't mean we can't try, okay, Daph? We can try. But I don't care about that. As long as I have you by my side, I'll be okay. You are my family, Daph. You, and Vera. And if that's as big as it gets, so be it. You alone are enough for me. The fact we've got Vera as well... It's a blessing, Daphne. A blessing. Don't ever think anything less_."

" _But-_ "

" _Daphne_ ," he said warningly. " _Don't argue, please. I'm not going to deny I'll always want to see you puffed out at the front-_ " I let out a watery laugh, " _-or see you nursing my baby, or playing with our children out in the garden. But you've already given me more than I ever imagined I'd get. You gave me a life. A family. You're my reason for existing. So don't you dare apologise, you hear me? Because I can never be more grateful to you for what I've got right in this moment_."

I sighed, leaning forward and resting my head against his shoulder, letting his warmth and scent wash over me and fill me with comfort. He was right, of course. We already had more than either of us could have ever dreamed of. It was selfish to become upset when we couldn't have more. I forcefully shoved back my unhappiness, wiped away my tears, then turned back to the others, who were staring at us like we'd gone insane. I glanced to the side, and while Pietro also looked adequately confused, Wanda had a soft expression on her face, like she could understand everything we said.

"What... just happened?" Tony asked, breaking the sudden silence. I'd noticed a pattern with that - it was like the billionaire was unable to stand being in a quiet environment, which I found incredibly ironic, due to his habit of locking himself in his lab for days on end.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, don't worry."

"Yeah, like I'm gonna believe that," Tony scoffed.

"Don't we have somewhere to be?" Bucky asked, quickly getting irritated, flashing Tony a hard look that clearly ruffled the man's feathers.

"He's right," Vision said, idly picking up Thor's hammer. "We have to go." He passed the hammer to the astonished God, walking past him towards wherever, completely oblivious to the silently stunned expressions on the faces of the Avengers.

"Right," Thor said at length, before giving Tony a strained smile and patting him on the shoulder. "Well done." Then he, too, disappeared.

Tony shook his head. "Too many strange things are happening," he grumbled. "Have I stepped into a parallel universe? Because that would have been nice to know a while ago if that's the case."

"Still in the same universe, Tony," I answered with a roll of my eyes. "Now stop being dramatic and put your suit on. Ultron may be waiting for the Avengers before his big plan is revealed, but in that time he could be making more bodies for us to fight."

"What about Thing 1 and Thing 2?" Stark asked, gesturing towards the Maximoff twins. They stared blankly at him, the reference going completely over their heads.

I scoffed. "You think they're here just to look pretty (though I must admit, they do a good job of that)? Sokovia is their home - the protection of said home was the reason they signed up for Strucker's experiments in the first place."

Tony blinked. "How do you know this?"

"There's this wonderful thing called research," I drawled. "You should try it some time."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Steve asked the twins, ignoring Tony and I.

Wanda smiled. "Daphne is right. Sokovia is our home. We will protect it with you."

Steve nodded in satisfaction, turning back to the others. "We have to leave as soon as possible. Everyone get ready. Prepare for a long fight, so bring as much ammunition as you can. You'll need backups. And backups of backups. This thing could go on for hours."

I turned to the twins with a grin and gestured for them to follow me. "Come on - I'll show you where all the good stuff is kept," I said with a wink, receiving a smirk from Pietro and a smile from Wanda in response. We all ignored Tony's complaints to how the best stuff was 'saved for him'.


	8. 8 - The Floating City

**A/N: So this is the first half of the battle for Sokovia. I hope you enjoy all the banter ;)**

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* * *

 **8 - The Floating City**

It felt strange to be wearing so many weapons. I had all the weapons I brought over from Clint and Laura's and then many more weapons from the stash that Stark had created for me. I brought Pietro and Wanda into this area as well, throwing Pietro a pair of special running trainers and a shirt, and then chucking Wanda a red jacket. Next I picked up two knives and two belts and headed towards the twins.

Pietro let out a yelp, having not noticed me coming, when I nudged up his shirt a few inches and started wrapping the soft belt around his bare stomach. I rolled my eyes at him when I noticed the smirk on his face. I then tucked the sheathed knife into his belt and yanked his shirt back down.

"You do know I don't need this, right?" he asked as I moved towards Wanda.

I glanced back. "It never hurts to be safe." I then did the same thing with Wanda, except I put the belt over her shirt and then hid the knife with the red jacket I'd just given her. I walked back to my vast collection of weapons and picked up a belt with a mini satchel on the side. I put several full magazines of ammo into the satchel's various pockets, closed it up, then pulled on a pair of black fingerless gloves. I finally pulled my hair back into a rough ponytail. I glanced at the twins, who were both looking at me as if they'd never seen anything like me before. I supposed, what with their reclusive upbringing, they wouldn't have done. "You both ready?" I asked, and their expressions hardened almost simultaneously as they nodded. I grinned. "Then let's go save your people."

Everyone else except Tony were already waiting by the jet. While the twins walked towards the rest, I turned and headed down towards the lab. Tony was just pulling on his suit when I got there, rolling his shoulders to get used to the feel of the suit, no doubt. Or maybe it was just for show. I wouldn't have been surprised.

He grinned at me, the face mask still flipped up. "Hey, Daffy, what's up?"

"Comms," I said simply, heading towards the desk and picking up two fresh earpieces. "Pietro and Wanda are gonna need them."

Tony pursed his lips. "You really think they can be trusted?" he asked lowly.

I nodded. "I'd be willing to bet my life on it," I said seriously. "In this battle, they have far more to lose than the rest of us. Don't forget that." I glanced at the earpieces in my slightly shaking hand, panicking a little now. I didn't want to change too much in the grand scheme of things but, then again, my very presence here has already changed so much. And, the way I saw it, saving Pietro's life would be worth facing an unknown future. I just had to figure out a way how. I looked up at Tony, who was watching me closely. I forced a smile. "Let's go, Iron Man. The rest are waiting for us."

* * *

Tony leaned against the wall, frowning. "There's no way we're all getting out of this unscathed. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans tomorrow night," Steve said casually.

I frowned. "Steve," I muttered disapprovingly. We all knew that the chances of surviving this were slim, but for Steve to talk about his death so candidly made me uncomfortable. The guy was essentially my brother.

"I get first crack at the big guy," Stark said with determination, eyes hardening. "Iron Man's the one he wants."

"That's true," Vision piped up, "he hates you the most."

I couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at that, hearing a few others do the same. Steve's serious voice met my ears. "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia... They didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

FRIDAY, Stark's new artificial intelligence system, suddenly alerted us all to the fact we were about to land. I turned to the twins. "If you have a situation you can't deal with alone, find someone to help you," I instructed. "Whoever's closest, if they're not busy. Don't ever take on more than you can handle alone, okay?" They nodded, and I smiled. "Good. And be careful." I turned to face Bucky, who was smiling weirdly at me. I blinked. "What?"

"You've slipped into 'mother' mode," he teased, holding onto a railing above his head as the plane started to land.

I rolled my eyes. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Bucky shook his head. "No, not at all. Just don't take it too far. There's only so much mothering that can be done on a battlefield."

I snorted. "You should have seen me in the 40s, sweetheart. Most the guys there were late teens or early twenties. I bet they would tell you differently."

Rolling his eyes, Bucky placed a chaste kiss on my temple and murmured, "Don't get killed."

I grinned up at him. "Same to you, Sergeant. That's an order."

He blinked. "Did you seriously just pull rank on me?"

Laughing, I patted him on the chest. "Don't worry, it'll only happen in a fight. Now let's go. This place is not gonna evacuate itself." While Pietro sped ahead to alert the local police, the rest of us spread out, ushering people out of their homes. The particularly stubborn ones were left for Wanda's abilities to handle. It wasn't long before the bridge leading away from Sokovia was packed full of slow-moving cars.

A high-pitched scream alerted us to the incoming wave of metal soldiers, and we rushed about getting people out of their cars.

"Go!" Steve shouted.

"Get off the bridge!" Wanda shouted. "Run!"

The sound of crying drew my attention to a child who was desperately trying to break out of the car he was in, but his path was blocked by the car next to him. I ran towards him, glancing into the next car over, finding it empty, and then heaving against the door. The car shifted two feet, giving the boy enough space to open the door and scramble out. "Go on," I said, "follow the others. Get away from the main city, and keep going. Don't get too close."

"Lady, what's going on?" the boy asked with a thick accent, eyes wide.

I placed my hands on his cheeks and lowered my voice. "We're going to make everything okay, I promise," I said. "But you have to run. Tell everyone to get as far from here as possible. Can you do that?"

The boy nodded and then took off running. A metal robot flew towards him, but I drew one of my pistols and fired two shots, deactivating the robot. I ran towards the main city, ushering a few stragglers along the bridge, occasionally taking out another metal soldier.

I had just met Bucky in the middle of an abandoned street when the ground began to rumble beneath us, and the city started to separate from the rest of the Earth. I glanced at Bucky, noticing his grip on his gun had tightened to the point where his knuckles on his right hand were white.

His gaze met mine. "You ready?" he asked with a crooked grin.

I matched it, pulling out my one machine guns and flicking off the safety. "Like you'd never believe."

We moved to stand back-to-back, staring upwards, waiting. Let the robots come to us. It only took a few seconds before a swarm of them came from other streets and out of buildings. Bucky and I began firing instantly, taking down droves of robots in one sweep, but more kept coming. It wasn't long before I had to put away my gun and take out my swords, stepping away from my husband so he wouldn't get in my swing line. Then I started the oldest dance I knew, slicing back and forth, cutting off metal limbs and heads and impaling their cores, which sat comfortably in their chests where the human heart should lie. I heard the hum of Bucky's metal arm behind me as he also fought, occasionally chucking a robot my way for me to slice in half.

Within three minutes the street was empty again. "Come on," I muttered, "we should head towards the church in the middle of the city."

Bucky followed me towards the centre of the flying piece of rock, both of us having to stop every now and then to take out a few more of the robots. "How many of these things are there?" Bucky asked, ducking to allow me to swing my sword above his head, cutting down the robot that had been flying towards his back. "Thanks," he said with a grin as he straightened again.

"You really think I took the time to count?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bucky laughed and winked at me. "You know, I wouldn't put it past you."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Sarge, let's just keep moving."

 _"Cap, you got incoming,_ " I heard Stark report in my ear.

" _Incoming already came in,_ " came the breathless reply.

"You okay, Steve?" Bucky asked, sending a short burst of bullets into the head of a robot who hadn't quite been disabled, despite being in two pieces.

" _Yeah, I'm good. Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed, walk it off_. _"_

I couldn't help but laugh. "Been there, done that," I said gleefully, thrusting both swords up through the head of another robot. I paused and looked around me. "Okay, this area's clean," I reported into my earpiece.

" _Yeah, we're clear here, too,_ " Barton reported.

" _We are not clear,_ " Steve shouted back. " _We are very not clear!_ "

Barton chuckled. " _Aright, coming to you._ "

I glanced at Bucky. "Shall we?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were the one giving orders, ma'am."

I groaned. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

He laughed. "Not a chance."

"Okay, well, let's go give Uncle Steve a hand. Before I tape your mouth shut."

His grin turned wicked. "It wouldn't stay that way for long, doll. Trust me."

"Just move, Sergeant!" He laughed again, and, even though I was pretending to be mad at him, I couldn't help but join in. I placed a hand to my earpiece. "By the way, Barton?"

" _Yeah?_ "

" _I_ would know."

Bucky gave me a confused look, but I just winked a him. " _How the hell do you even know about that? You're half a city away from me._ "

"I have my ways," I responded with a grin. We ran back towards the bridge, joining seamlessly with Steve and Natasha. I jumped on the roof of a rusty old truck, acting as a beacon. The robots swarmed around me, but I just continued to twist and turn, my swords singing as I cut down robot after robot, or redirected them towards one of the others.

"That never ceases to be impressive," Natasha commented as she ducked next to the truck to catch her breath.

I laughed. "Years of practice, Talia, dear."

Natasha shot the final robot in this area square in the chest, and the five of us congregated to one another. Steve put his finger to his ear. "The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?"

Stark sighed. " _Well, nothing great,_ " he answered. " _Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear._ "

Steve frowned. "I asked for a solution, not an escape plan."

" _Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice_ ," Stark reported grimly.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere," Natasha said with a frown. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..."

"Not 'til everyone's safe," Steve said firmly.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there," Natasha said.

Steve shot her a look. "I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

Natasha grinned. "Oh, I didn't say we should leave." She glanced around her, and I had to admit the fluffy clouds and endless sea of blue made for a nice image. "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

" _Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better_." I blinked at the sound of Fury's voice, unable to resist the grin breaking onto my face when I saw an old S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier rising into the air. " _Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do_."

"Fury, you son of a bitch," Steve muttered.

" _Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?_ " Fury retorted with a laugh.

"Anyone else notice that, while he's usually the one to ridicule others for swearing, Steve's actually the one who probably swears most?" I asked, smiling innocently when Steve shot me another one of those infamous 'I'm disappointed in you' looks.

" _Altitude is eighteen thousand and climbing,_ " Maria Hill reported.

It was only a few seconds before a series of small lifeboat ships broke away from the helicarrier and moved towards the flying island. Pietro appeared by my side. He smiled. "This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked.

"This is what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supposed to be," Steve said with a smile.

Pietro nodded, glancing at me. "It's not so bad," he conceded, flashing me a grin when I rolled my eyes at him.

Steve turned to the people gathered nearby, then looked back at us with a grin that was far too contagious to be legal. "Let's load 'em up," he said.

" _Sir, we have multiple bogies converging on our starboard flank,_ " Maria said.

" _Let's show them what we've got._ "

" _You're up._ "

I stared up at the sky, unable to resist laughing when Rhodes flew in, taking down at least a dozen robots in a single spray of bullets. " _Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story._ "

" _Yep, if you live to tell it,_ " Stark teased, flying alongside his old friend.

" _You think I can't hold my own?_ "

" _We get through this, I'll hold your own._ "

" _You had to make it weird_."

Clint's voice snapped me away from my momentary daze. "Alright, let's load 'em up! Alright, here we go. Here we go, let's move. Let's go, everyone!"

Bucky and I ushered five families out from a building, picking up a child in each arm to make sure they kept up with the older ones, before handing the kids back to their parents, who thanked us profusely in unpractised English.

"Why have we never done this before?" Bucky asked me with a laugh as we headed towards the next group of people.

"Maybe because it only becomes necessary when the whole planet is under threat?" I suggested with a grin, pulling an older woman to her feet and then helping her towards the lifeboat.

Bucky laughed again, keeping pace with us. "Oh, yeah. That."

I had just sat the woman down on a chair when Tony's voice echoed in my ear again. " _Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier._ "

" _On it_."

" _Avengers; time to work for a living_."


	9. 9 - Recklessness Is My Middle Name

**A/N: Yes, I know this is a day later than normal, and I apologise. But life has been really busy lately, and I can't imagine it's gonna get any better, so for now I'm afraid you'll have to ebar with me. Anyway, I hope you like it, and please leave a comment! :)**

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* * *

 **9 - Recklessness Is My Middle Name**

Steve, Bucky and I arrived at the church first, laughing, with me in the lead, Steve just behind me, and Bucky trailing behind him. Bucky shoved Steve slightly, who in turn grinned at him and shoved him back.

"How is it you're so cheerful in a situation like this?" Tony asked, and I could imagine him narrowing his eyes behind the helmet of his suit.

I shrugged. "We were in a war," I said simply. "You learn to make the most of any situation you can in any way you can."

"And you went with a race?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Steve said with a crooked smile.

"Oh, yeah," I mused with a grin, turning to face Bucky. "I never found out who you bet for during that race."

Bucky grinned easily. "I bet for you," he said. Steve seemed unsurprised by this, so I guessed he probably already knew. "You seemed so confident when you told me you were faster than him that I figured that had to mean something. 'Sides, Steve and I had a thing back then for betting against each other."

I blinked. "Well if that's not a way to build the foundations of a great friendship, I don't know what is," I mused with a grin as the rest of the guys began to show up.

Pietro and Wanda immediately walked towards one another, checking the other over. "You good?" Pietro asked.

Wanda smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

" _Romanoff?_ " Stark spoke into his headset again. " _You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini_."

I shook my head. "That never ceases to be weird."

" _Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly_."

Bucky glanced at me. "What?"

"You call courgettes zucchinis. It's... weird."

"So, what's the drill?" Natasha asked, flicking a piece of rubble off her suit as the Hulk came crashing into the area.

"This is the drill," Tony answered, pointing at the vibranium core in the centre of the church. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

Ultron chose that moment to appear, and the Avengers turned to face him. I stepped half a pace closer to Bucky, drawing my swords.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Thor shouted, readjusting his hold on Mjolnir.

Ultron raised a hand, and a fresh wave of his minions converged on him. Steve sent Thor a look that made him look just so _done_ with everything. "You had to ask," he grumbled.

"This is the best I can do," Ultron said smugly. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?"

"Well," Tony said, with a faint tone of reluctance in his voice, "like the old man said; together."

Ultron's robots surged forwards, attacking with a vengeance, however ultimately failing to reach the core. My swords sung as I whipped them back and forth, constantly wiping and re-wiping my area clean of the bastards. I paused for a split second to glance upwards, Ultron and Vision going all-out above our heads. It wasn't long before the number of metal soldiers began to dwindle, and Thor and Tony took the chance to join Vision in the fight against Ultron.

After impaling another metal soldier on my left sword, I glanced behind me just in time to see the Hulk storm towards the accurately dubbed 'Murderbot', sending the metal creature flying through the air, before turning and roaring at the suddenly motionless bots nearby. They turned and began to fly off, but I didn't bother with them. I knew Rhodes and Vision would take care of them.

Steve turned to the rest of us in the church. "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Clint asked, glancing at the pedestal of sorts.

"I'll protect it," Wanda said firmly, giving Barton a sharp nod. "It's my job." Steve, Natasha, Bucky and Clint left, but Pietro and I hesitated. Wanda rolled her eyes at us. "Get the people on the boats," she said, waving us off.

"I'm not going to leave you here," Pietro said, frowning. I placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at me.

"Wanda can take care of herself," I said, just as the girl sent a stream of red mist at an incoming opponent, sending it flying into a pillar.

"Come back for me when everyone else is off, not before," she instructed. Pietro hummed, suddenly amused. "You understand?" Wanda asked, seemingly frustrated with her brother.

"You know," Pietro said casually, "I'm twelve minutes older than you."

Wanda laughed. "Go," she repeated.

Pietro ran off after the others. I stayed for a moment longer, smiling at her, and muttering, "When this is over, you and Pietro are welcome to come and live with Bucky and I. If you want to, that is."

Wanda blinked in shock. "B-But... why?"

I smiled. "Because you've both spent long enough on your own. Because you deserve it. And you don't have to worry about Bucky. I know he'll agree." I winked at her. "Think about it," I said with a smile, before turning and running towards the lifeboats, heart pounding. My eyes swept the area, looking for the boy. That little boy that would be the reason that everything changed.

"Costel?! Please, we were in the market. Costel?!"

I placed a hand on Clint's shoulder, stopping him. I smiled. "I've got him - you get Pietro and make sure everyone's safely inside the lifeboats."

Clint frowned. "You sure?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure, Barton. It's fine. I'm fast, remember?"

He nodded and stepped back, calling out to Pietro and then the two of them got to work. I let out a short breath, before turning and jogging to the boy in the market area, who was hiding in a small ditch. It would have been a good hiding area when there were metal soldiers everywhere.

He looked up at me and spoke in Sokovian. I smiled down at him, offering a hand. He took it, and I started to slowly help him over the rubble. The sound of bullets hit my ears, and I turned to see Ultron in the jet, bearing down on us. I inhaled sharply, grabbing the boy and pulling him closely, turning my back to the jet and curling around the boy, screwing my eyes closed.

"DAPHNE!"

I couldn't help but wince as I heard Bucky's voice echo in my ears.

I let out a shuddered gasp as I felt two bullets hit my legs. Seven bullets ripped through my back. One went through my shoulder. I lifted my head to watch the jet fly away from me, before turning to the boy. I nudged him forward. "Go, to the boats. Go." He clearly didn't understand me, but he went forward anyway, not looking back.

I stared after him for a moment, before the agony of my wounds hit me like a train. A cry - unbidden - left my lips, and my legs collapsed. My arms managed to break my fall, but they shook. I could feel my heart falter in my chest as it pumped more blood out of the bullet holes.

Bucky skidded to a halt beside me, his heavy boots kicking up dust from the crumbled buildings around us. His arms wrapped around me, and I hissed through my teeth, grimacing as pain shot through me again. I managed to lift my head, seeing the expression of absolute horror on Bucky's face as his eyes swept over all the wounds on my body.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, hands trembling as he took my face in his hands. "You knew what was going to happen. Why? Why did you do it?"

I smiled at him, only to convulse and cough, a small dribble of blood bubbling up in my throat. I spat it onto the ground. "I'll be fine," I said, even as my heart skipped a beat again. I groaned. "I'll be fine," I repeated firmly.

"You don't know that," he whispered, closing his eyes, his expression pained.

I chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I do." His eyes opened, and he looked at me in confusion. I smiled. "I'm the Time Stone, remember? Can't destroy that. Can't kill me while it's in my blood. I'll be fine." I coughed up more blood, and my arms finally gave in. Bucky caught me quickly, pulling me against him so I could use his strength to hold me up. "Bucky," I muttered.

"What is it, doll?"

"I want to take in Pietro and Wanda."

I could feel his chest rumble with his chuckle. "I've been waiting for you to say that," he said. "You took them in the minute you saw them. You're a mother at heart. Always have been."

"Is that a yes?" I asked, my voice failing at the end. Gods, I just felt so _tired._

He hummed, stroking his hand over my hair. "I've certainly no objections," he murmured. "Just as long as you stay alive, Daph. Just stay alive, and we'll do it."

"Is that a promise?"

His voice was very warm when he answered. "Yeah, doll. That's a promise."

I nodded weakly. "Good." My eyes slid closed, and before I could stop myself I fell limp into my husband's arms and was swept away by the darkness.

* * *

Bucky carefully laid Daphne across four chairs, keeping her head in his lap, tenderly moving a strand of her hair out of her face. Her face was dirty, sweaty, had a few scrapes on it, and the bags under her eyes were larger than they'd been for months. Yet she maintained her unique beauty, both inside and out.

Bucky's head lifted as the city suddenly began to shoot downwards, and Pietro yelled out for his sister in panic.

"It's alright," Bucky told him, keeping a straight face when the kid's distraught expression met his eyes. "They'll get her out," he continued. "She'll be okay."

Pietro blinked, his eyes shifting to Daphne. He was by Bucky's side in a second. "Is she going to be alright?" Pietro asked in concern, moving to touch Daphne's arm, then pulling back at the last second.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, everything's gonna be fine. There's an Infinity Stone keeping her alive, remember?"

"I... didn't think of that."

Bucky huffed. "Neither did I," he admitted. "She had to remind me herself."

Pietro shifted to the side and sat down on the chair at the end of the row, Daphne's feet only a few inches from his leg. "She is very kind," Pietro said suddenly. "For someone who has been under Hydra, she is unbelievably... _good._ "

Bucky chuckled. "Yeah, she always was. She loves fighting more than she'll ever admit, but she hates having to kill people."

"Even bad ones?" Pietro asked, raising his eyebrows.

Nodding, Bucky ran his finger down Daphne's cheek. "Even bad ones. She doesn't hold onto her guilt like she used to, but she believes in second chances. If you kill someone, you're denying them that chance. It's worse when the people she kills are good. She still gets nightmares about those sometimes."

Pietro stared at the man for a long time, trying to get a read on him, but he got nothing. Nothing, except that he was staring at the woman in front of him like she was the most important thing in the world. Both of them looked up when the Vision landed on the lifeboat, carrying Wanda in his arms. Pietro jumped up and strode over to them, and the Vision respectfully moved away to give the twins some privacy. Well, as much privacy as one can find in a small space full of people, anyway.

Bucky looked down at Daphne again and blinked when he noticed there were trails of orange all over her skin. He leaned closer, and he realised this must have been the Time Stone running through her blood and working its magic on her wounds. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the quiet _ping_ of metal on metal sounded, and Bucky picked up the bullet that had just been forced out of Daphne's shoulder.

"How long will it take for her to heal?"

Bucky glanced up and saw Wanda eyeing his wife with concern, both hands wrapped around Pietro's forearm. "Based on my limited knowledge," he said, "about a day. Whatever the Stone doesn't heal, the serum in her blood will fix pretty quickly. She'll be up and about in no time."

Wanda nodded slowly, before meeting his gaze. Her eyes suddenly held doubt and hesitance. "She told me, before we parted, that she wanted Pietro and me to come live with you."

Bucky nodded. "It's hardly surprising," he said, both him and Wanda pointedly ignoring the sudden wide-eyed shock on Pietro's face. "She's really embraced the role of a mother since she found out she was pregnant with Vera, and I think a part of her feels responsible for you."

"And... you're okay with this?"

Bucky snorted, lips quirking up to the side. "You think I wouldn't be?" he asked her, and she suddenly looked sheepish. Bucky's face became serious. "You're good kids, both of you. You had your childhoods ripped away from you, and you had to grow up too fast. Daphne went through the same thing - she knows what you went through. Maybe I can't empathise with you in the same way, but I do know what it's like to be torn from your family. If you want it, we can try to bridge that gap for you. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll become official members of our family." He frowned, before saying, very firmly, "But don't you dare forget your parents, okay? Without them you wouldn't be here, and they suffered just as much as you did all those years ago. Daph and I can help you, but you have to remember your roots. Can you promise me that?"

They both nodded, and Wanda slowly stepped forwards, wringing her hands nervously in front of her. She hesitated, eyes darting between Daphne and Bucky, before she swallowed back her nerves, leaned down, and hugged him. Bucky was surprised, but slowly returned the hug. "Thank you," Wanda whispered, and his grip on her tightened instinctively.

"You're welcome," he said softly. "Although, it was Daph's idea, so really you should be thanking her."

Wanda laughed when she drew back, smiling and wiping away a few half-formed tears. "I will," she said with a smile. She shook her head. "I never would have thought-"

"When it comes to Daphne," Bucky cut in, "you can never expect anything. She's good at surprising people. Even me, and I've known her longer than anybody."

The three of them jolted slightly when the lifeboat docked to the helicarrier. Bucky picked Daphne up and carried her onto the helicarrier, not failing to notice how the twins now stuck close to his side. He couldn't help but smile. He hadn't walked into this ever thinking he'd come out the other end with more people to keep watch over, but he couldn't say he was against the idea. He just hoped that the twins could keep their promise about remembering their parents. Because he'd forgotten his once. And when he remembered them again, he'd hated himself for it, above all else. More than he hated himself for taking all those lives. He hoped they wouldn't ever have to experience that. Because they really did deserve a better hand than they'd been dealt.


	10. 10 - Visiting Hours

**A/N: *waves* Hello, my lovely readers? How are we all? I hope the answer is good! Anyway, here is the next chapter, which is mainly a filler but I shamelessly love it for some reason. Onwards!**

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* * *

 **10 - Visiting Hours**

I stared at the sight in front of me with a raised eyebrow. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but it was clearly long enough, because Barton and Banner were noticeably absent and Vera was in the Tower. What caught my attention was the fact that Pietro had Vera in his lap where he sat cross-legged on the floor, and Vera was babbling as Wanda let red streams of energy drift across the air in front of her. Bucky was relaxed on the sofa behind them, though he watched them closely.

He was, unsurprisingly, the first one to notice me. He rose to his feet without a word and walked towards me, and I met him in the centre of the room. His hands cradled my face and he smashed his lips to mine, which frankly caught me by surprise. I didn't hesitate before kissing him back, though.

Bucky pulled back and rested his forehead against mine, eyes scanning over my face. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I'm fine." I pecked his lips again before walking towards the little group on the floor. Vera had taken her eyes off the red mist and was making cooing noises, her eyes locked on me.

I leaned over and took my baby from Pietro, holding her close. I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed her until this moment. "Hi, Vera," I whispered as the curious baby started playing with the fabric of my shirt. "Did you miss us, sweetie?" I smiled when she giggled at me, reaching out to try and grab a swinging lock of hair as it slipped from behind my shoulder. I glanced up when Bucky put his hands around my torso from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. Vera stretched out an arm towards his face, and I shifted my arms so she could stroke his chin.

Bucky chuckled, catching her little wrist and playing with her fingers. "You've got an unhealthy attachment to my beard, Vera," he said with a smile.

I scoffed, rubbing his chin. "That's not a beard - that's just stubble."

Bucky planted a kiss on my cheek. "Don't complain - you love it even more than she does."

I grinned. "Yeah, that's true." I turned back to the twins, seeing them both on their feet and watching us with soft expressions on their faces. I grinned at them. "You guys okay?" I asked.

Pietro nodded, smiling in return. Wanda stepped forward slowly, and I frowned in confusion when she placed her hand on my arm. "We're okay," she murmured. "And thank you."

I beamed at her. "So you'll do it?"

Wanda nodded. "We will."

Bucky murmured into my ear. "Stark wants us to head over to the outskirts of the city, and then we can all go home."

I hesitated. "Actually, I need to make a trip somewhere first. Talk to... an old friend of mine."

Bucky sent me a confused look. "Where? What's so important?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing. Yet. But I just want to make sure we're more prepared for when it _does_ become something."

"Where are you going?" Bucky asked.

"Asgard," I answered. "Thor's gonna go back there in a bit, and I'm gonna hitch a ride." I glanced up to see Bucky's frown had deepened. "I'll be back within a day, I promise," I assured him. "Really, it shouldn't take long." I smiled, glancing at the twins. "Then we can go back to the farm until the world flips upside down again. Which, if our luck holds, will be in about a year or two."

Pietro chuckled. "You don't have much faith, do you?"

"It's not so much a lack of faith," I said with a smirk, "more just anticipation based on past patterns. I mean, come on, in the last three years we've had Norse gods, alien insects, people who are internally on fire, the Convergence, Bucky and I, and now this. Next year will be a man that shrinks, for all we know."

Bucky gave me a knowing smile. "We've got two places to go first," he said firmly. "First, we're gonna go over to the new Avengers facility. Stark made us swear we'd visit."

I blinked. "I honestly didn't know a new facility was being built."

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, apparently he's been working on it for months. Finally got finished about a week ago. He's invited us over later to see it."

I rolled my eyes. "No doubt eager to show it off." I sighed, before looking back at the twins and smiling. "You guys ready to go?" They nodded, and, after saying a brief goodbye to Pepper when we saw her, the four of us headed out.

* * *

As expected, the new facility was bright, clean and ridiculously ostentatious. The training room alone was big enough to fit several commercial planes inside. Tony gave the whole group a tour, and we gradually dwindled in number until it was just me, Bucky, Steve, Tony and Thor. Wanda and Pietro had taken Vera so she wouldn't be alarmed by the Bifrost when Thor and I headed back to Asgard (or so they said), but no matter the reason, I had nothing against them taking care of her. She was fast asleep anyway.

"I'm going to miss these little talks of ours," Thor said fondly, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Well, not if you don't leave," Tony pointed out.

Thor shook his head. "I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fifth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position..."

"Triple Yahtzee?" Tony asked with a grin, and I hit him for making a joke out of such a serious topic.

"You think you can find out what's happening?" Steve inquired with genuine curiosity in his voice.

Thor let out a long breath as we came to a stop on a grassy area just outside the facility. "I do," he said. "Besides this one," here, he slapped Tony on the chest a few times, "there's nothing that cannot be explained." He turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, giving Bucky's hand a brief squeeze before stepping away from him and standing beside Thor. "I'll be back soon," I promised with a smile, and Bucky nodded, looking like he wanted nothing more than to come after me. But this wasn't something he could help me with. His presence alone would only make it harder. Without having to say anything to him, I think he understood that.

"Stay safe," he said.

I smiled. "Same to you. Take care of our family while I'm gone."

That familiar smirk came to his lips almost instantly. "Yes, ma'am."

I turned to Thor and nodded, receiving a nod in return. Thor looked up. "Heimdall, when you're ready."

A second later we were swept up by the multicoloured Bifrost, and, just like always, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the passing stars.

My eyes took a second to adjust when we landed in Asgard, and I smiled up at Heimdall when I saw him standing before us. "Welcome back, my friends," Heimdall greeted.

I grinned at him. "Despite everything, I've missed it here," I admitted. "It's good to see you, Heimdall."

"And you, Lady Daphne," he said with a hint of a smile. "Frostmore is waiting to carry you to the palace." He turned to Thor. "King Odin has asked that you report to him whenever you come back. I have already sent word of your arrival. He will be waiting for you in the throne room."

"Ask him to wait for me in there, will you?" I asked sweetly, receiving a grin and a nod in response.

I walked up to the chestnut horse I'd taken under my wing five years ago, rubbing her face in greeting, then swinging onto the saddle. I turned her around and clicked my tongue, urging her into a gallop. The horses of Asgard were very fast and strong, with incredible stamina that securely put Earth horses to shame. I reached the city in under ten minutes, spent a further five meandering through the streets towards the palace, and then another six or seven walking from the stables to the throne room.

I didn't knock. I didn't ask to be let in. I just opened the doors without a word and marched towards the throne. Odin's intimidating form sat atop the throne, his staff in his hand.

"You are brave to come here uninvited," he said.

"I would not have come at all if I had any other option," I told him. "Might I ask that we be left alone?" He stared at me for a long time, before dismissing the guards with a flick of his empty hand. I waited for them to close the door behind them before grinning at him. He seemed caught off guard by the sudden change. "You _know_ you can never trick me with your illusions," I said with a smirk.

His face hardened for a moment, before the illusion wore off and Loki took the place of Odin. "You knew all along," he said accusingly.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I did."

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath, before leaning back in the throne. "And what is so important that you felt the need to come all this way?"

I sighed. "As I'm sure you know, Thor's come back here to try to find information on the Infinity Stones and who might be trying to find them. But you and I already know, don't we?"

Loki visibly stiffened. "Do you have proof that he is making such a move?"

I shook my head. "No, but I don't need proof. Don't forget this has already come and gone for me."

"Not entirely," Loki pointed out. "You know only a few details."

"Perhaps," I allowed, "but at this point, the bare minimum is all we need."

"So what have you come here to ask of me?"

"By my estimation, we have between two and four years before Thanos makes his move to take control of everything. That gives us the same amount of time to prepare any soldiers we can. Thanos isn't going to come into a fight with the Chitauri by his side. They've already proven too weak. He's going to come with everything he's got, and unless we have a fighting force great enough to push him back, he's going to crush us all in mere days. You're the Allfather now. I beg that you go to the other realms and tell them to prepare for war. That way, when the time comes, we can have thousands of the universe's best warriors ready to fight for its survival, wherever the battleground may be."

"Trusting the other realms to make greater armies and not turn against us is not as easy as asking nicely, Daphne," Loki said, sounding simultaneously bored and exasperated.

"It's a risk you'll have to take," I snapped. "Under that mask you constantly feel the need to have in place I know you are a better man than you think you are. You don't want this universe to come to an end any more than I do. And if you do this right, then you will have created strong allegiances with your neighbouring realms that will prevent future wars under your reign. But we need the extra men, otherwise we will lose."

Loki narrowed his eyes at me. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you have condemned us all to death," I said calmly. "I know that my friends and I will fight no matter what. But we cannot win on our own. So we will die. And with every victory, Thanos will gain strength. If we cannot beat him immediately, our chances of beating him at all will drop through the floor with every following loss." I gave a bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my lord, I have a family to return to." I turned and started to walk out.

"Daphne." I paused, but didn't turn out. "Congratulations. On your marriage, and on the birth of your daughter. It is no less than you deserve."

I couldn't help but smile to myself, before I turned back to my friend and nodded. "Thank you, Loki. And, just between us, I always knew you'd be a great leader." I flashed him a wink before striding out of the throne room.

I met Thor just inside the palace, in sight of the main courtyard. "I trust your talk with my father was successful," he said, smiling at me.

I shrugged. "He neither agreed to nor refused my request. I can only wait and hope he will do as I have asked of him. I know that my words are all I have to sway him, and I was never very good with diplomacy."

Thor laughed. "Nor I, my friend," he said, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "You and I take the path of the honest and brutal truth."

Grinning at him, I glanced around us. "Are you busy?"

Thor shook his head. "Not right now - I was just heading to the training area to find our friends. You are welcome to join me."

I hesitated, then smiled. "Sounds like a good idea. It's been too long since I last saw them."

"They have missed you in the last months," Thor told me as we began to walk towards the sparring grounds, where Lady Sif and the Warriors Three would no doubt be holed up. "Sif more than most. I believe she enjoys having another woman to talk to."

"It's a mutual feeling, believe me," I replied with a laugh. "You men are an entirely different species, I swear."

"And yet somehow we can live alongside one another in harmony," Thor shot back with a smug smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "It is a struggle at times."

Thor became serious, pausing in his steps. His eyes crinkled with concern. "Are you having concerns with your marriage?"

My eyes widened. "No! Oh, God, no, not at all! I love Bucky with all my heart and we're still going strong, I promise."

Thor smiled with relief. "I am glad. I thought so too, but when you spoke about men in such a way I couldn't help but wonder."

I shook my head. "Bucky and I are absolutely perfect right now, though I appreciate the concern."

Thor nodded again, that satisfied smile on his face. It was so easy to be dragged towards Thor when he showed how much he truly cared about his friends. I'd known him for over sixty years, and he'd never given me reason to doubt the strength of our friendship.

"Daphne!"

My face lit up as I was engulfed by an over-eager Sif, whose armour made it feel like I'd just been run into by a wall. I didn't dwell on it though, hugging her back and beaming. "It's so good to see you," I told her, pushing away slightly. "It's been far too long."

"You should have visited," Sid countered, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "It is not as if you do not have freedom to move between the realms."

"It's the same for you," I pointed out. "You could just as easily have visited me down on Earth."

Sif grinned. "Well played, my friend. Now come - the boys will want to see you."

And they did. Fandral greeted me in the same flamboyant way as usual - with a flick of his cape and a kiss to my knuckles. Volstagg swallowed me in a tight bear hug and didn't let go for a full minute. Hogun offered me a smile and slight bow of his head, but I wasn't expecting more from the quiet man.

"So," Fandral said at length, "what's new in the world of Lady Daphne Sparrow?"

I smirked at him. "Well, for one thing, it's not Daphne Sparrow anymore."

Fandral blinked. "Why not?"

I chuckled. "I got married," I explained. "In my world, it is tradition that the bride take on the groom's surname. I am now Daphne Barnes."

"Ah, so you married your beloved James Buchanan Barnes after all," Fandral said dramatically, grinning. "Well, congratulations!"

"Truly," Sif said with a smile, squeezing my hand. "We're happy you found your love again."

I smiled, before admitting, "We have a family."

The reaction was instantaneous. Shocked gasps and wide eyes were directed my way. With the long lives of the Asgardians, it would usually take at least a decade before a married couple had their first child. To hear that I already had a family would indeed be quite surprising.

"A family?" Volstagg repeated. "Already? Why?"

I chuckled. "Because we wanted one," I said simply. "We'd already waited a long time, so we figured we'd wait no longer."

"A child?" Sif asked, eyes gleaming. "A boy or a girl?"

"A baby girl," I answered with a smile. "Vera. She's just a few days old."

"I had no idea you wanted a family so soon," Sif murmured from beside me as Volstagg and Fandral were distracted by a palace servant bringing out two large platters of food.

I shrugged. "I didn't, really. But once I found out I was pregnant, I think my inner mother came out. And... I think there might be others as well. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. As soon as I saw those two... I knew I wanted to give them family they'd been deprived of for so long. They were forced to grow up too fast, Sif. I want to try to give them the family Bucky and I never had with Hydra. We're starting slow - they're coming to live with us. But maybe one day..."

Sif smiled. "Will I ever get to meet them?"

"If you come down to Earth, then yes," I replied immediately. "We both know I won't be able to bring my whole family into Asgard. But you and the others are welcome whenever you want to pay us a visit."

Sif smiled. "Thank you. I shall keep that in mind." She then stood up, offering me her hand. "So how about a spar? For old times' sake." I grinned and accepted her hand, letting her pull me to my feet.


	11. 11 - The Basement

**A/N: So this is a little longer than usual. Actually, a lot of the chapters in this fic are longer than normal. Ah well. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Big thanks to Eryniel Alasse for favouriting and following. Nice to have you back :)**

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* * *

 **11 - The Basement**

"Sif, I really don't think-"

"It was made for you, Daphne," Sif countered firmly. "Since you don't ever use it in this realm, you might as well take it where you'll find use for it."

I sighed, fingering the solid silver plates of my Asgardian armour. It was much like Sif's in design, though with more leather around the arms and torso. I had a cyan blue cape at the back which shimmered in every type of light. It was amazingly lightweight and comfortable, but, as Sif said, I didn't use it much.

"I can't carry all this, Sif," I said, gesturing to my weapons which were on the same table as my boots, gauntlets and leather leggings.

"Then wear it, and carry your current clothes," she countered smugly. She then shoved me slightly. "Go on - change into your armour. Imagine the reaction you'll get from your family when they see you like this."

"They'll probably think I've gone clinically insane," I muttered, but nonetheless bowed to Sif's demands and moved to change into the armour.

I had to admit, it felt comforting, in a way, to be back in these clothes. It reminded me that I had a second home here. That I had friends here too. Back on Earth, I was always so busy that it was easy to forget about this world, but I realised I had been stupid to ever forget the people here. Because they were my friends just as much as the people back home.

When I came back out to meet Sif, my normal clothes tucked under one arm, Sif had been joined by Thor. The woman held out a sturdy brown bag to me, and I dumped my Earth clothes in the bag before she put it on the ground. I picked up my swords and sheathed them into my armour, then picked up my knives and daggers and throwing axes and placed them into their assigned nooks and crannies.

"See?" Sif said with a grin. "Much better."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think you have enough of an appreciation of Midgardian clothing. They're very good at the domestic stuff."

"Are you ready to go, Daphne?" Thor asked. "It is nearing nightfall."

I nodded. "Yes, we can go." I pulled Sif into a hug. "Promise me you'll visit soon," I told her sternly.

Sif laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I promise."

Nodding with a smile, I picked up my bag, said goodbye to her, and then followed Thor out. He surprised me when, instead of going to the stables, he grasped me around the waist and then flung Mjolnir towards the Bifrost. I'd never flown like this before, so it was a brand new experience for me. I wasn't convinced I enjoyed it, but we landed before I could make up my mind.

"That hammer really does solve every problem, doesn't it?" I grumbled, hitting Thor in the arm when he laughed.

"It comes in handy, that's for sure."

I inhaled deeply when I stood in front of the Bifrost, before turning back to Heimdall and Thor. "If you ever have need of me, you know where to find me." They both nodded, before Heimdall slid his sword into its place in the mechanism and I was dragged back to Earth.

I was surprised to find myself in the garden of our farm, with the sun casting a gentle orange glow over the fields and the house.

A second later there was a young man by my side, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes at him. "What?" I challenged, trudging towards the house. Pietro walked calmly alongside me.

"Those clothes suit you."

I snorted. "Thanks, I guess." I paused. "Has Bucky shown you guys the basement yet?"

Pietro shook his head. "I didn't even know there was a basement," he admitted.

I grinned. "Go and get Wanda. I'll show you guys how to make it work." I followed Pietro's blue streak into the house, dropping my bag of clothes on the floor. Pietro came back with Wanda trailing behind him. I smiled at them. "Right, there a four switches in the house to make this work," I told them. "The ones in the kitchen and the lounge need to be facing up." Pietro zipped away and came back a second later, nodding. I rolled my eyes. "The one in mine and Bucky's bedroom, which is only accessible under the bed, needs to be facing down." Once again, Pietro disappeared. I turned to face Wanda. "Is he always like this?"

Wanda nodded as Pietro reappeared again. "Even before the experiment, he could never stay still for long."

I nodded. "The last switch is in on the outside of the house, just under the left hand side of the porch. That one has to be in the middle position." Pietro nodded and darted off again. He came back with a smile. I led the two towards the stairs and opened the little door, before leaning down and flicking on the white switch on the wall by the door. A hatch popped up from the floor, and I pushed it open before ducking inside. The lights turned on as soon as they detected my movement. Wanda and Pietro followed me inside.

The basement was made of stone, with dim lights on the walls. A comfortable set of three chairs sat around a little table, and a blanket box in the corner held a few of mine and Bucky's less used weapons.

"This is nice," Wanda commented with a smile as she glanced around.

I smiled. "If you want only this part of the basement, all you need to do is flick the switch under the stairs. The other switches unlock the wall, which acts as a door." I counted three bricks back from the right wall and pressed the brick on the bottom row in an inch. The wall clicked, before sliding back.

The room became brightly lit by the white light surging in from the newly revealed room. It was full to the brim with weapons, armours and handy little gadgets.

"How did you get so many weapons?" Pietro asked in awe.

I chuckled. "I'm old, Pietro, and I've worked in many places. You start to gain a collection. But actually most of these were given to us by Tony." I placed my Asgardian weapons where they fit around the room, before I began to pull off the cape and metal plates of my armour, leaving me in my loose under armour. "There is a red button on the far wall," I told them, "hidden behind that sniper rifle. Press the button twice in quick succession and you will be shown the escape tunnel."

"You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" Wanda was frowning even as she spoke.

"We're always going to be under threat, Wanda," I reminded her gently. "It's better to go overboard with defence than pay the ultimate price by not being careful enough." I glanced around me. "You're welcome to any of these weapons as you need them," I said. "But only use the red button as a last resort. As soon as you're in the tunnel, this section of the basement gets locked again. You'd have to go all the way to the end of the tunnel and back into the house to open that wall." The twins nodded, still looking around in awe. "If you press the blue button," I said with a grin, "you'll get access to the training room. Use that whenever you like. And make sure you turn all the switches in the house to a down position once you've finished using it, otherwise anyone can get in. Got it?" They nodded again, and I left them to their own devices, heading back up the stairs in search of Bucky. I found him sitting on our bed, fiddling with his wedding ring. I leaned against the doorframe and folded my arms over my chest. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" I asked.

Bucky lifted his head and smiled at me. "Never," he said, slipping on his ring and approaching me. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me closely. "I've missed you," he muttered. "You keep disappearing. I haven't spent long enough with you in the past few days."

"I promise that was the last time," I said, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. "I'm all yours from now on."

Bucky hummed, hands slipping under my loose shirt and sliding up my back. "I'm sure I can make that a promise," he growled, gently biting the shell of my ear and causing a shiver to rocket down my spine.

"Bucky," I warned, trying to keep hold of my quickly disappearing self-control, "don't forget Pietro and Wanda live here now."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow at me. "Then be quiet," he said simply. "Besides, they're both 22. They'll know about the birds and the bees by now."

I rolled my eyes. "That's not the point and you know it."

Bucky groaned. "Oh, come on, Daph, throw me a bone here. I haven't been able to love you like this for _months._ "

I chuckled. "Fine; on one condition."

He raised an eyebrow, already pulling me closer to him and nudging the door closed behind me. "And what's that?" he murmured, pushing me back against the door and flicking the lock.

"You're in charge of any and all awkward conversations that might come up in the morning."

Bucky grinned. "Deal." Then he ducked his head and lifted his hands at the same time, capturing my lips with his and undoing the strap of my bra. I knew then that I was in for a night I wouldn't soon forget.

* * *

The next morning, neither of the twins ever mentioned our activities, though I wasn't sure whether that was because they just didn't want to discuss it, or if they genuinely hadn't noticed. Vera was particularly clingy, refusing to be removed from my hold and then keeping my shirt locked firmly in her grasp even when I was holding her.

"I think she missed you," Bucky said teasingly, popping up beside me and planting a kiss on my temple.

"The feeling's mutual, I assure you," I said with a smile, tickling Vera's stomach and relishing in her giggles as she tried to bat my hands away with her feet.

"Well, as you said yesterday, we've got some time to ourselves now," he pointed out, just as Pietro appeared in the room.

"There's someone coming up the driveway," he said with a frown. Bucky and I both tensed and turned to face one of the front windows, seeing an old Audi coming to a slow stop in front of the house. There was a young woman behind the wheel, and even from this distance I could tell she seemed very nervous. She sat in the car for longer than necessary, and in that time I had headed towards the door.

I stepped out into the open just as the woman climbed out of her car. She paused, jumping slightly when she saw me standing there. Even Vera was giving the young woman a curious look.

"Can I help you?" I asked, and though my voice was pleasant enough, there was a noticeable undertone of tension.

"Oh, uh, yes. Possibly." Her stammering assured me that this woman probably wasn't a threat to anyone. I gave her an encouraging smile. She shook her head. "I'm sorry - I'm a mess."

I laughed slightly. "No, you're okay," I told her.

The woman nodded, smiling. "Um, my name is Elizabeth Banks. Like the actress, just... with no relation." She smiled timidly. "I was wondering if I could talk to, uh..." She scrambled through some files she'd left on the seat of her car, flicking through the paper until she found what she was looking for. "James Barnes...? Is he here? Can I talk to him?"

I tensed slightly, but once again sensing no ill-will from this woman, I nodded. "Yes, he's just inside. Come on in." Elizabeth beamed, grabbed the rest of her papers, and then followed me inside. Bucky gave me a questioning look, clearly having heard our conversation. "She seems harmless," I murmured quietly. "And she's really young, so I doubt, if she were Hydra, they'd let her go against people like us."

Elizabeth looked around her, smiling softly. "Your home is beautiful," she said. Then she glanced at Pietro and Bucky. "Is one of you...?"

Bucky smirked ever so slightly at her shyness. "That would be me," he told her. "How can I help?"

"I'm studying World War Two history in university, and was wondering if you could tell me a little about it," she said. "I met a friend of yours not too long ago and he pointed me in this direction."

"Which friend?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Uh..." She shuffled through all her notes again. "Jack Frye." She paused and frowned, looking Bucky up and down, before her eyes widened when she noticed Bucky's metal arm peeking out from the long-sleeved jumper he was wearing. "Oh!" she squeaked. "You're..."

"Yes," Bucky cut in sharply, though I could tell he was trying to soften his voice so as not to startle her.

"Oh, well, that makes a lot more sense," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Mr Frye said you'd fought together, but you're so young! I guess I understand why now."

I couldn't help but chuckle at Bucky's perplexed expression. "Can we get you anything?" I asked. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Oh, just some water, if you don't mind," Elizabeth said with a smile, which was far more relaxed now.

I turned to Pietro with an eyebrow already raised expectantly, and he rolled his eyes at me but nonetheless went off to get said drink. Bucky and I then led the way into the lounge and sat down, with Elizabeth perching on the edge of the seat opposite us.

"So what's this all about?" Bucky asked, leaning back into the chair. It would have looked like a relaxed stance, were it not for the fact he had positioned himself perfectly so he could reach for the pistol we'd stashed under the cushion should he need to.

"I'm wondering if you could tell me about Gilbert Diggory," she said, just as Pietro came back in with her water in hand. He placed it on the table in front of her, then disappeared, no doubt to find his sister. "Like I said, I'm studying World War Two history, and he is my ancestor."

My eyes widened, and Bucky glanced at me in amusement. "I think you should be asking Daphne," he said, and Elizabeth's eyes shifted to me. "She fought alongside him. I never met the guy, I'm afraid."

"You were there too?" Elizabeth asked in confusion.

Slowly, I nodded. "Yeah, I was one of his commanding officers."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up. "What can you tell me about him?" she asked eagerly. "No one has any information on him. Not how he died, or where he was buried. Most people don't know who he is."

I blinked at her sudden bubbliness, but responded fairly evenly. "Well, he was nineteen when he got drafted into the army. Already had a fiancée by that point, though I had no idea she was pregnant when he left." I smiled sadly. "He was a good kid," I said at length. "Apparently he used to spend a lot of time out in the country with his grandfather, who owned a lake house. We were in France in the middle of the winter, and Gilbert got hypothermia. Two days later he passed away. I, um... It was me who buried him."

Elizabeth froze. "You... _You_ buried him?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We were going through a bad few days of combat, so they couldn't get any trucks in to take away the bodies. Usually, in that situation, they'd have to bury them where they died, though sometimes they'd try to get them somewhere safe. In our situation, even that was impossible. They were going to burn the bodies. But Gilbert and I shared a foxhole together for a few days, and I didn't want him to go through that indignity. So I snuck out of our foxhole and went to a lake, which was about half a mile down the line. I buried him there."

"Which lake?" Elizabeth asked eagerly.

"Uh..." I paused, my brows furrowing as I tried to remember what the lake was called. "Lake Bourget?"

Elizabeth smiled. "That's in the department of Savoie, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. We were in trying to claim Bourdeau, I think."

Elizabeth's smile widened. "Wow, this is... Thank you. I got more from you in five minutes than the rest combined," she admitted. She then shook her head, clearly trying to get back into the right mindset. "I will admit, that line of questioning was more... personal. I still have more questions, if you wouldn't mind answering them...?"

Bucky and I exchanged a glance, then shrugged at the same time. "Why not?" Bucky said with a smile. "Fire away."

* * *

Elizabeth left shortly after, having said hello to Pietro and Wanda, and then thanked Bucky and Daphne profusely for their help with her research. Just as the woman left, Daphne's phone began to ring.

"Well, aren't you popular today?" Bucky mused with a grin as Daphne pulled her phone from her pocket.

Daphne rolled her eyes at him. "It's just Kaia," she said, before bringing her phone to her ear. "Why has it been two months since your last call?" she asked. "Busy doing what?" Her face shifted into a frown. "That doesn't sound good... You did _what?!_ Why the hell am I only hearing about this _now?!_... Damn right, I would! You should have told me immediately, Kaia!... So what?... Oh, please - you know you can't use that as an excuse... There's more? Oh, Jesus, what else have you done?" Daphne's face froze over as she listened to her best friend talk on the other end of the phone. "And you agreed?" she asked calmly, though Bucky could see a tempest of emotions boiling underneath the surface. At length, she sighed. "No, of course I'm not. I do wish you'd told me sooner, though... Oh, is that true?" She now wore an ear-splitting grin on her face. "Are you sure?... Are you sure you're sure?... Okay, okay, I'll shut up. But seriously, what's the plan from here?... I guess, but then again, everyone you know is here, right?... Ouch, that hurts." Her face had formed a frown again, and even as Bucky watched, he could imagine the cogs turning in her head. "Why don't you travel?" she suggested. "I know you want to do that." She chuckled to whatever response she received. "Well, look, I really don't know what you expected from me, since I've literally only just found out, no thanks to you... I have. Sort of. But don't forget I _did_ make you promise to tell me about this stuff before you left... No, it's fine. From now on just keep me posted, okay?... Good. Love you too. Bye." She hung up and sighed heavily, leaning against the wall. She glanced at him, huffing when she noticed his amused, raised eyebrow. "Be thankful you don't have to go through with this stuff with Steve," she said, pointing a finger at him and then heading towards the lounge.

Bucky followed her. "What stuff?"

Daphne sighed again. "Kaia met a guy out in Australia," she said at length. "He proposed last week. She said yes."

"And you're upset because she didn't tell you about him?"

"Wouldn't you be?" she challenged. "If you found out Steve had been going out with someone for months and you found out after they'd gotten engaged, wouldn't you be upset about it?"

Bucky considered for a moment, before relenting. "Yes, I suppose I would. Although I still think you might have overreacted slightly. Out of context, you made it sound like Kaia had blown up a city, or something."

Daphne shrugged. "That's just the nature of our relationship," she said. "I could say the same about yours and Steve's, though."

Bucky's brows pinched. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, even though he can look after himself, you're still fiercely protective of the guy."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Not at all," she said with a coy smile and a shake of her head. "But you overreact sometimes, too."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Daphne nodded, her smile widening. "Yeah." She leaned against the kitchen counter and that smug little smirk was back again. "So how would you react if I told you that Steve jumped on top of a grenade during basic? A grenade he thought was real, I might add." Bucky's face twitched. Had Steve really done that? What an absolute idiot. "Or," she continued, clearly enjoying herself far too much, "that when he infiltrated the Hydra base that had you and so many others locked up, he not only went in by himself, but he also went in with a shield and helmet that were both _props_ from his USO tour?"

Bucky stared at her for a long time, before holding out his hand. "Phone. Now."

Daphne chuckled and dropped her phone into his hand, and she was still cackling to herself as Bucky dialled Steve's number to give his best friend an earful.

Okay, so _maybe_ Daphne had a point.


	12. 12 - Independence Day

**A/N: This one is mostly just a bit of fun, but it leads into the next bit, so it's still important. Hope you like it! :)**

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* * *

 **12 - Independence Day**

"Daphne, I can't find my shorts!" Pietro called from his room.

I chuckled, rolling up four towels and shoving them inside a large rucksack. "In the wardrobe, on the left, second drawer down!" I called back, catching the bottle of water that Bucky chucked me from the kitchen.

"Found them!"

I rolled my eyes, smiling at Wanda when she came down with a sleepy baby in her arms and a small bag slung over her other shoulder. I took the bag from her and shoved it in the rucksack, with all the others. "Do we have to leave so early?" Wanda asked, yawning. Vera stared up at her adopted sister, before she glanced back at me, blinked, then yawned as well.

I smiled, taking Vera out of Wanda's arms. "Unfortunately so," I told her. "It's a three hour flight to Miami, and Natasha wants us there and ready by noon."

"Remind me again why we can't just stay in New York," Bucky grumbled, coming into the room and placing a kiss on my forehead as he passed.

My face softened at the action, oddly happy at the fact that he had absolutely no reason to do that at all, but had chosen to do so anyway. "It's supposed to be a surprise," I told him. "Nat doesn't want it to be anywhere near Manhattan. I don't know why - I've stopped trying to understand that woman."

Bucky nodded, before glancing down at his metal arm, clenching and unclenching his fist. "Are you sure we should be doing this?" he asked quietly. "I mean... going out in the open."

I sighed. "I'm worried too," I admitted. "But I don't think anyone is actively after us right now. Besides, with all of us there, going after any one of us would be suicide. Especially today."

Pietro chose that moment to zoom into the room, dumping his stuff in the rucksack and zipping it closed as he passed. He came to a stop beside Wanda. "We ready to go?" he asked, annoyingly full of energy at such an early hour.

I glanced around. "Yeah, I think so," I said. "Let's head out, then. Maybe you guys can catch some sleep on the drive to the airport."

"How far is it?" Wanda asked, following me out of the house.

"Three hours, at most," I told her, pausing for a second when a tickle in my throat caused me to cough. "It's not much, but it should help," I finished after clearing my throat.

She nodded. "Yes, I think I will try to get a little more sleep. We can't all be like Pietro."

"It's a blessing and a curse," I shot back, and the two of us shared a grin when Pietro huffed indignantly from behind. I led the way towards my Mondeo estate, opening the boot so everyone could put their things in the car, before pushing it closed, careful not to exert too much force (I'd done that once with this car and accidentally cracked the rear windscreen from slamming it too hard). Pietro and Wanda got into the back of the car, while Bucky settled behind the wheel and I stepped into the passenger seat with Vera still in hand. I knew this wasn't exactly the safest way for a baby to travel, but there wasn't really enough space for the four of us and a chair, so I just kept hold of her.

"Ready?" Bucky asked me quietly, blue eyes darting towards where Vera was sleeping soundly in my arms.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's go. The sooner we get there, the better."

Bucky snorted. "Amen to that."

* * *

Bucky and I had been jumpy for the entire plane journey, eyes scanning constantly for threats. It was a relief for us both when the plane landed safely in Miami, and we were able to get off. After turning my phone off of flight mode, the thing instantly buzzed, receiving three texts from Natasha.

"She wants us to meet her there. Steve and Sam are on their way over, and should arrive within half an hour," I informed the others.

"Mind if I go ahead?" Pietro asked, restless from being unable to move during the past three hours.

The rest of us exchanged knowing looks, before Bucky said, "We won't stop you." The words had barely left his lips before Pietro disappeared in a blur. Bucky shook his head. "I feel sorry for the girl that has to deal with him in the future," he mused aloud.

"She'd have to have the patience of a saint," I agreed with a laugh. I glanced at Wanda, who had a restrained smile on her face. "As long as we make sure we have a camera on hand at every moment, everything should be absolutely fine."

Wanda and Bucky both laughed, and Vera babbled happily at the sound, before we continued the journey through the airport in a comfortable, warming silence.

Our meeting place, being a white sanded beach, wasn't a long walk from the airport, and we arrived fairly soon after Pietro. Everyone else (except Sam and Steve) were already there, and they greeted us cheerfully when they finally caught sight of us. Even Vision had tagged along, though he looked like a deer in the headlights. Poor guy.

"Finally, you made it!" Natasha cheered, bounding towards us and scooping me into a hug, though she made sure not to squash Vera in the process. Natasha was wearing a single-piece swimsuit which, while flattering, wasn't the kind of swimwear I had expected from the woman.

I passed Vera to Bucky, who took her with a perplexed expression, then dragged Wanda and Natasha by the hands towards the changing area. "Where are we going?" Wanda asked in confusion.

"We're changing," I said simply.

"I'm already changed," Natasha pointed out, expression indignant.

I shook my head. "Not properly," I corrected. I gave her a sideways grin. "You're way too hot to be wearing something as tame as that. The rest of us are going in bikinis, and you're going to be joining in."

Natasha's face darkened slightly. "Daphne, I have-"

"A scar, I know," I butted in, stopping and turning to face her with a serious expression on my face. "First of all, most of the world knows who you are and what you do, so a few scars are to be expected. Second, you'll still look sexy with or without it, so it really shouldn't be an issue on that front. And third, your scars tell the stories of what you've survived. You should take pride in each and every one of them." I cocked an eyebrow. "So... are you gonna cooperate or am I gonna have to go to extreme measures?"

Natasha looked amused. "I don't even have a bikini with me."

I smirked. "That's alright - I have a spare that should fit you. So, you'll do it?"

Natasha sighed heavily, before her lips twitched up at the sides and she nodded. "Alright, I'll do it."

I beamed at her. "Excellent! Now, let's go get changed."

* * *

Within the next half hour everyone had settled onto the soft, white sand and had changed into their swimwear. I disappeared at one point to feed Vera, and when I returned there was a buzz of excitement around the group. The wind and sand did weird things to my throat, and suddenly I found myself coughing for a few seconds.

"Sam just texted," Tony told me with a wide grin, slapping me on the back to help clear my throat. "He and Cap are only a couple minutes away."

I grinned. "Do you think he has any idea?"

"Probably not," Bucky said, moving to stand next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and then pressing a kiss to my temple. "Steve's always had a habit of forgetting his own birthday. And even if he remembers it, he never expects anyone to do anything for him."

"Did you guys do anything last year?" I asked the others, and they all nodded.

"Yeah, we went ice skating," Clint said. "It was Tony's idea - he thought it was hilarious."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he did."

"Oh, incoming!" Pietro called, and we all turned to see Sam leading a very puzzled-looking Steve Rogers towards us. His eyebrows shot up when he saw us all waiting, especially when he spotted Pepper sitting on a beach blanket. She had been hesitant to come at first, since she didn't really know Steve all that well, but Tony had insisted, and eventually the rest of us had kind of ganged up on her, so she relented.

"What is this?" Steve asked when we were all within hearing range.

Tony predictably rolled his eyes. "Oh, you know, just celebrating the American day of independence. And a certain Capsicle's birthday."

Steve blinked. "You guys did all this because it's my birthday?"

I chuckled, and his blue eyes flickered to mine. "You didn't truly believe we'd just ignore it, did you?"

Steve shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean... it's just another day of the year."

"This coming from the guy who is usually the first in line to plan something special for anyone else's birthday," Bucky teased, moving away from the rest of us and slapping Steve on the shoulder, before the two embraced shortly. "Just suck it up and smile, you jerk."

"Punk," Steve retorted, grinning. "Thanks, guys. I really didn't expect anything like this."

"Well, you should," Natasha said firmly, before grabbing a bag and chucking it to Sam, who caught it. "Now get changed. We're here to have fun. No missions. No work. We're just gonna enjoy the weather and the blatant stares of everyone else on this beach." Natasha wasn't even remotely exaggerating - everyone who'd passed us had spent some amount of time staring, their eyes shifting from person to person like they couldn't believe we even existed.

The two of them walked off to change, and Bucky turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "Fancy a swim?"

I grinned back at him, before calling Wanda over. She took Vera from me with a smile, tickling the baby's stomach, and Bucky and I raced away from the others towards the water. Anyone who saw us paused to watch as we whipped past, kicking up sand with each step. It wasn't long before we were ploughing into the ocean, and when we were little more than waist deep, Bucky grabbed me and lifted me up, causing me to yelp. He swung me up onto his shoulder, only to be caught by surprise when I grabbed his arm and twisted myself around violently. He lost his balance, and we both went tumbling into the sea.

When I emerged from the warm water, Bucky was just wiping water from his eyes. We grinned at each other, before continuing deeper, until I could barely touch my toes on the ground without my head disappearing under the water. Bucky still had a few more inches to spare, but he stayed by my side.

He reached out and grasped my hand, tugging me so I was flush against his warm body, though his left arm was pleasantly cool. "You know," he said conversationally, "I don't think I've ever seen you in a bikini before."

I laughed at his strange choice of topic. "You've seen me in my underwear, which is basically the same thing. _And_ you've seen me in less, too."

Bucky shook his head. "It's not the same."

"In what way?"

"That was all private," he said, furrowing his brows. "This is public. Anyone could look at you."

I blinked, mouth falling open slightly. "Bucky, are you _jealous?_ " I asked in astonishment.

He shook his head again. "No, not as such. I just... I don't want someone looking at you in _that_ way." He smirked at me, dipping his head and pressing his lips teasingly against my own. "That's my job."

I rolled my eyes. "Ah, so you're being possessive," I concluded.

He grinned. "You can hardly blame me," he told me, giving me a very obvious once-over, despite the fact he probably couldn't see half of me through the water. "I'm married to an incredibly sexy woman, and right now, you're showing that sexiness off to anyone within the vicinity. I don't want anyone to get any ideas."

I hummed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "And what about you?" I asked. "You are everything any woman with a sane mind would want, and all you're wearing is these." I tugged at the waistband of his swimming shorts. "I wouldn't be surprised if I had to start chasing women off with a stick by the dozen."

Bucky chuckled. "Now wouldn't that be a spectacle."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, you missed the point," I grumbled. I sighed, before lifting myself up onto my toes and planting a firm kiss against his lips, fingers fisting in his wet hair when his grip on me tightened, and he deepened the kiss almost immediately. His tongue stroked my bottom lip, and I opened my lips without hesitation, my tongue meeting his in an intimate dance we both knew very well by now. Bucky's fingers started to dig into my skin, and he pulled me impossibly closer. We separated only when we were close to passing out from a lack of breath, and I looked up at him with a smile on my face. "The point of that," I whispered against his lips, "was that you have nothing to worry about. Let them stare, either at me or at you. Because I know you're mine, and you know I'm yours." I pressed my lips against his again. "I love you, Bucky. That will never change."

Bucky sighed contentedly. "I love you too," he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. Then suddenly his face lit up into a wicked grin, and his leg hooked itself around mine. A yelp left my lips when he pulled my legs out from underneath me, and I went plunging back into the water. I resurfaced, spluttering and choking, before I launched myself at my husband, wrapping my legs around his waist while I hugged his torso from behind.

"That wasn't very nice," I muttered into his ear as he began to wade back towards the shore. A quick glance up told me that Steve and Sam had returned to the group, and Natasha was facing us with a camera in her hands. I laughed and waved at her, receiving a wave in return, before I unwound my legs from around Bucky and dropped back into the sea. Then I grasped his metal hand tightly and walked with him back up to the beach, both of us dripping with water. I noticed, as we walked, that Natasha wasn't the only one with a camera pointed at us, but I couldn't find it within me to care. I was where I wanted to be, with the man I loved, and the friends I adored. What more could I want?


	13. 13 - We All Have Our Secrets

**A/N: I should warn you now, there are only a few more chapters after this before I start the next story. So IMPORTANT QUESTION: Since the next story will include Civil War, and since Daphne no longer has her 'foreknowledge' to help her keep things (mostly) as they should be, do you want me to follow the Civil War timeline that exists in the movies, or do you want Daphne's presence in this universe to allow it to change? I am leaving this ENTIRELY up to you. Let me know what you think! :)**

 **Big thanks to Azalia Fox Knightling for following!**

 **Review response(s):**

 **Lara Barnes: Normal is weird for them, isn't it? :3**

 **Love. Fiction. 2016: Thanks! :)**

* * *

 **13 - We All Have Our Secrets**

We'd stayed the whole day on the beach, talking and laughing even after everyone else began to leave. During the course of the day, many of us had been ogled for various reasons (a group of university students had come up to us all and asked for autographs, which we all gave, even if some of us (namely Bucky and I) were more reluctant than others (like Pietro, Sam and Tony)). They even got a few photographs.

"So you're coming back to the Tower, right?" Tony asked me as the guys started to finally pack up, as the sun was beginning to set and apparently Tony's Tower had an awesome view of the firework shows going on in and around New York City.

I smiled, nodding my head. "Yeah, we can't really go back home this late. Vera will be awake the whole flight, and that'll just be a nightmare. So, if you don't mind, we're gonna come back with you."

Tony scoffed. "I'd never mind."

"I beg to differ," I retorted with a grin. "Now, let's go. Looks like the others are waiting for us."

* * *

The flight back was thankfully short, though Vera really wasn't happy with being kept up so late. As soon as we got off the plane, she was fast asleep in my arms. Tony was scarily prepared for this, having added a small room for Vera in mine and Bucky's suite, and he had ordered FRIDAY to automatically let us know if she became distressed.

After putting Vera to bed, the whole group had congregated in the penthouse suite, and we were happily talking and laughing with a few beers in hand.

Tony was retelling an amusing story about one of his old flings. "I thought I knew what she meant!" he defended himself vehemently, while the rest of us laughed our asses off at his expense. "How was I supposed to know she _literally_ wanted me to feed her cat?!"

I grinned at him. "Tony, my friend, the moment you think you understand a woman is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked."

Steve paused, giving me an odd look. "That's something Howard said to me way back when."

I coughed once into my hand, then grinned wider. "Just because he said it to you doesn't mean he didn't say it to anyone else, Steve," I said lightly, feeling strangely giddy to be back in a relaxing environment with these guys.

Natasha's face had suddenly become slightly strained, and there was a thoughtful furrow to her brows. "Did he though?" she asked. "Did Howard say that to you?"

I shook my head. "No, not directly. He'd never need to say that to me, because I myself am a woman."

Natasha's frown deepened. "Yet you know he said it."

I blinked. "Where are you going with this, Nat?"

Her eyes narrowed. "The night of the dance," she said firmly. "Tony was talking about getting a drink, and you used words he himself used to describe himself. Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. But you weren't there, so how the hell did you know he said that?"

"And the vibranium," Steve piped up. "You were the one that suggested it could be used by Ultron to make a body. How could you have possibly known that?"

"Not to mention my scar," Natasha added. "I've never told you about that, and I've never shown you."

I felt my heart start to pound a little harder in my chest, and then a warm hand slid into mine, and I glanced next to me to find Bucky wearing a taught expression. " _I think you should tell them, Daphne_ ," he whispered in my ear in Russian.

I shook my head. " _I can't. This isn't stuff they're supposed to know._ "

" _You told me._ "

" _That's different._ "

" _How? Give me one way in which it is in anyway different to telling them._ "

I groaned in frustration. "It just is, okay?!" I snapped, my fear of having to admit this to my friends causing my temper to grow short very quickly.

"What is?" Natasha questioned, leaning forward. Everyone was now staring at me, either with suspicion or curiosity, and I didn't like the sudden attention.

I couldn't meet any of their eyes. "Just tell them, sweetheart," Bucky whispered in my ear, his thumb drawing soothing circles on my hand.

My eyes fell closed, and I couldn't help but grasp Bucky's hand with more strength, feeling an unfamiliar surge of panic within me. I hadn't prepared for this is any way. How would they react? No doubt in some way that was different to Bucky's calm acceptance to the whole thing. The very concept was ridiculous.

"Daphne," Wanda's soft voice broke through the haze, and I looked up at her through suddenly heavy eyes. "You know you can trust us, yes?"

I scoffed. "Of course I do," I said strongly. "I'd trust you with my life a thousand times over."

"Then why is this so difficult for you to say?" Clint asked in confusion.

I sighed, before my throat tightened and I coughed weakly to clear it. "Because it's a secret I've been keeping mostly to myself ever since I was sixteen," I admitted. "It's stupid, and unbelievable, and every day, part of me is absolutely terrified by it."

"What could be so scary for someone like you?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Have you ever read the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit? Or seen the movies?" I asked him.

Steve blinked in confusion at the seemingly random question. "Uh... Yeah, both. Why?"

"Imagine you've been dropped into Middle Earth, with everything you know about the past and the future still in tact. What would you do?"

"Well, I'd try to change everything that went wrong," he told me with a frown, still not understanding. "Stop the dragon from taking the Lonely Mountain... things like that. Why?"

I nodded, thankful he'd said something I could use. "And what happens after you do that?" I asked. "If the dragon never takes the mountain, the dwarves never need to reclaim it. Bilbo never goes on an adventure. He never gets the Ring. Frodo never gets the Ring. There is no Fellowship. And chances are the Ring ends up in Sauron's hands." I shook my head. "It's never as simple as doing what you want. You have to think about the consequences."

"But how is this relevant?" Steve pressed.

I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. "It's relevant because it's possible, okay?!" I snapped, shaking my head. "Everything is possible." Sighing, I leaned my weight back into Bucky's chest, and he tightened his grip on me, his constant warmth acting as a balm to keep me from internally combusting. "This world," I said slowly, voice suddenly croaky and weak, "is not _mine_."

"What do you-"

"I think she means that, as with the example she just used, this world and hers are literally two different worlds." Natasha's voice was professionally emotionless, and I couldn't help but flinch slightly upon hearing it. She hadn't used such a tone with me pretty much since we'd met, and that hurt slightly.

I nodded slowly. "It's true. Where I come from, all this," I gestured at the room around me, "is a story. A story that's warped and changed over time, but a lot of the fundamental details have remained."

Tony was shaking his head. "But what you're suggesting is impossible."

"I would have said the same thing when I was younger," I said. "And, honestly, this world is far more of a home than my other one ever was, but the fact remains that this is still the story in my head. I wake up every now and then half expecting to be back in my own bed in my own world, and all this to have been a very long and complicated dream." I let out a long breath, my fingers starting to draw mindless patterns on Bucky's hands to keep them occupied, and to try to diffuse some of my nervous energy. "Going back to the 1930s wasn't the first time I'd time travelled. The first time, I was sixteen. It was 2016, and when I moved, I not only went from 2016 to 1953, but I also went from one universe to another. I don't know why. I don't know how. I don't know anything except that it happened, and I'm here now."

"2016?" Steve asked, his voice suddenly cold. Bucky and I simultaneously tensed. "And your old world ran parallel with this one? Same timing?"

Slowly, I nodded. "Yes. When I left my world, your world was in the same year."

"Which means you know everything that has happened and will happen until that point," Tony realised aloud. His eyes furrowed. "Which means you knew about Ultron before he came along."

"You didn't just detect something bad happening, did you?" Clint questioned, his eyes shooting daggers at Bucky, who just gazed evenly back at him. "You knew _exactly_ what was going to happen."

"Why didn't you stop it?" Steve asked, leaning forward. "You had every opportunity to stop it from happening, to save hundreds of lives, and yet you sat back and did nothing!"

I stood up, unable to keep still anymore. I began pacing in front of them, trying to ignore their suddenly hard and cold gazes. "Middle Earth," I reminded him pointedly. "Everything is linked. Stop one thing, the rest of the chain is disrupted. For better or worse."

"But you could have at least _warned_ us!" Tony exploded, also jumping to his feet, and suddenly everyone else was standing as well. "Told us where he was going next. What his plan was. Maybe it wouldn't have been stopped, but we could have saved some people!"

I shook my head. "It's just not that easy, Tony!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I know what's coming next!" I shouted back, and suddenly there was a chilled silence in the room. "Whenever a movie is released," I started slowly, "it goes through several stages. The announcement stage, the trailers, and then the release. There were many more waiting in the future, where the basics are all that are needed to have a fairly good idea of what's going to happen. But at that point all the details are lost. I don't know when, or how, or why. And that scares the shit out of me. Which is why I can't afford to change too much, because for all I know it could end up resulting in even more deaths."

"But the people in Sokovia..." Wanda murmured, and my heart crumpled slightly at the heartbreak in her voice.

I shook my head. "Thor said himself that someone is playing an intimate game with everything," I said slowly. "If Ultron wasn't created, the Vision wouldn't have been either. We'd have no one to protect the Mind Stone. No one to keep it out of enemy hands. And believe me, if it ever got there, Midgard would not be the only realm in danger."

"All of them down there for all of them up here," Natasha murmured slowly, understanding washing across her face.

I nodded. "Sometimes you have to make choices where you lose either way," I said slowly. "I have to live with the weight of those choices on my shoulders. I didn't particularly want any of you to bear that burden alongside me, not even Bucky. Knowledge of what's coming isn't a blessing - it's the worst curse imaginable. But I cope, because I have to." My eyes hardened, before I turned to look at Tony. "But that doesn't make me heartless, and I'm insulted that you insinuated as such. I try to save as many lives as I can without compromising everything else. I take risks, just like you. I've changed things in ways you'd never know. This is just reality for you. But it's already so different, and that scares me even more, because I have no idea whether or not that's a good thing."

"Like what?" Steve questioned coldly, and Bucky shot him a harsh look. I hated that - that this topic was obviously straining their relationship. Bucky would side with me; he always did. Steve... I didn't know what he'd do. "What could be so different?" he snarled.

"Him," I said, pointing at Bucky. "And him." This time, I pointed at Pietro.

"How?"

I sighed. "Besides the obvious?" I questioned. "In my world, Bucky doesn't do what he did in this one. During the events with Hydra in Washington, he'd fight you on the third helicarrier. He'd nearly kill you. And you would have laid down your shield, and let it happen. For the first time, you'd have backed out of a fight, with the vague hope that doing so would make him remember you. And after you both crawled out of the ashes, he'd have left. Bucky would have been left alone, knowing nothing about himself, not knowing what was real and what wasn't, not knowing who he could trust. He'd have had to face his guilt alone. For two years, he would have trusted no one. And no one would have given him the second chance he deserved, so he would be forced to become the very thing he hated in order to survive." I shook my head, feeling that irritating itch behind my eyes at the mere thought of Bucky being in such pain. The man himself was watching me with soft, tender eyes. "He wouldn't get married. He wouldn't have people like you to turn to. No friends. No family. Vera wouldn't have been born. The... The people in that plane wouldn't have survived. Hell, maybe the hijacking would have worked, and who knows what would have happened then?!" I took a deep breath, trying to fight back the threat of tears, but it wasn't easy. I hated that this was tearing us apart. Maybe the whole thing about a 'civil war' would be my fault in this world.

"You said Pietro would be different," Wanda said quietly. "How? In what way?"

I swallowed thickly, reaching for Bucky's hand again, and he was quick to take a step closer to me and reassure me with his presence again. "During the fight in Sokovia, I took several bullets to save a boy. In my world, that would have been Pietro. Clint would have gone to save the boy, and Pietro would have seen those bullets, and moved Clint and the boy out of the way. In doing so, he'd get hit multiple times." The first tears slipped from my eyes, and a broken sob left my lips. "He would have died there and then. I couldn't... Not after... I just..." Bucky scooped me up in his arms, holding me and soothing me gently as I poured my heart into his chest.

Only to pull away a second later, that weird pressure growing in my chest again, and I burst into a violent coughing fit.

Suddenly the others forgot about what I'd just told them, crowding closer in concern. "Daphne, are you okay?" Bucky asked, rubbing my back slightly.

I waved him off. "I'm fine," I said, starting to cough again. "Just an itchy throat."

"That's not the first time that's happened," Natasha pointed out. "You've been coughing all day - which is weird, since you're not supposed to get ill, right?"

"The serum should take care of all illnesses," Steve agreed.

I went to argue again, but convulsions in my lungs had me coughing for at least the twelfth time that day, and this time it was violent enough that I was almost bent double. I froze when I tasted iron in my mouth, and slowly pulled my hand back from my mouth.

It was splattered with blood.


	14. 14 - Beyond The Limit

**A/N: You're probably going to hate me, but there's another cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. At least this time you've been forewarned. Now, I've had a few comments about what people think should happen in the next story, but I would appreciate a few more if I can get them - should Civil stay the same as the films or should it be different? As I said last chapter, it's entirely up to you.**

 **Big thanks to THE VOLTURI RULE2 for favouriting :)**

 **Review Response(s):**

 **Lara Barnes: Thanks for the opinion, and, as always, I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying it :)**

 **angelAnabiel: Thanks for letting me know. Glad to hear you still like it :3**

 **Love. Fiction. 2016: :))**

* * *

 **14 - Beyond The Limit**

"Bucky," Daphne choked, lifting her eyes and showing Bucky her hand. His face crumpled with concern and fear the moment he laid eyes on the fresh blood sitting on her palm. His heart was now pounding in his chest as fear and panic started to set in, only to grow exponentially when Daphne doubled over in another coughing fit, getting more blood on her hands.

"What's wrong with her?" Pietro asked, his voice pinched with tension, worry and fright. He was remarkably composed considering he'd just been informed he would be dead right now were it not for Daphne.

"I don't know," Bucky said urgently, ducking down and swiping Daphne's legs out from underneath her, moving her back to the chairs. She let out a groan at the movement, her body twitching and her eyes flashing with pain. Bucky tapped her cheek. "Daphne, what's wrong? Tell me, sweetheart. What hurts?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but just twisted onto her side and started coughing again, the sound raking over his eardrums. Every additional cough had his grip on her tightening.

"It is the Stone," Vision said slowly, and Bucky's head snapped up fast enough that he worried for a split-second he'd given himself whiplash.

"The Stone?"

"Its energy must have gathered," Vision told him. "It now has enough power in one place to become whole again."

"Then why is she acting like this?"

The Vision hesitated, glancing at Daphne, whose body was becoming warmer by the second, and yet her face was starting to grow paler and paler. "The Stone must gather its energy in the focal point of its host," he said at last. "In this case, the heart or the lungs. Now it has become solid again, it will..."

"What?" Wanda asked frantically. "What will it do?"

"It will forcefully break out of her body."

Bucky's eyes narrowed in tightly bound fury. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

Vision shook his head. "It was not a burden I wished for you to carry around with you. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, as I believe the saying goes."

"Will she survive?" Bucky asked, cradling his wife against his chest, feeling her heart pounding against his fingers almost as quickly as his thumped in his chest. "Is she going to be alright?" Vision hesitated. "Don't you dare keep this from me," he snarled.

The android pursed his lips. "No being has yet survived, however there have not been many cases of this happening, and some got close. With enough time and skill, she could still live through this. Especially with the serum that runs through her veins."

"Bucky..." Bucky's head snapped down when she heard Daphne murmur his name in such a quiet voice. There was a thin dribble of blood gathering in the corner of her lips, and no matter how hard he tried Bucky couldn't tear his gaze away from it. "I love you."

Bucky winced. "No," he begged. "Don't do that. Don't say goodbye. Daphne, I'm not going to let you die from this. I won't. I'll find you help, get someone to save you. I swear, I'm not letting you go. You hear me? You are not going to die today." He tenderly pushed a lock of hair away from her cheek, resting his hand there a moment later. "I'll find someone to help you."

Daphne nodded weakly, her face become suddenly ashen before her body lurched to the side again and she started coughing again, a faint gurgling sound in the back of her throat. This time she coughed up more blood than she had before. Bucky's heart cracked slightly at the sight, at his own fear, and at the fact he could do _nothing._

"There is not much hope for her," the Vision said softly, causing the tension to flood back into every cell of Bucky's body. His eyes were hard and cold when he looked back at the android. "The healers of this world do not have sufficient technology or skill to keep her alive. You need help from elsewhere. But such help cannot simply be requested."

"So I am to just sit idly by and wait for her death?" Bucky snarled. "If there is even the slightest glimmer of hope that she will survive, I will do everything in my power to make sure it happens."

Vision's brow creased. "There are beings watching this world from afar. Perhaps they will take pity on you and her, and they will intervene. But the lives of mortal men and women do not often concern those from other realms."

A blinding light suddenly burst through the windows, and everyone turned to see two figures emerging from within the light. Bucky had only seen the Bifrost once before, when Daphne had gone to Asgard. It gave him hope to realise that perhaps her friends from the other realm had been watching over her.

"Luckily from everyone, Daphne Barnes is no ordinary mortal." It was the man who spoke, and Bucky figured out immediately who this was. He had white hair and a white beard, and a golden eyepatch over one eye. But Daphne divulged the secrets of her friends to him when she deemed him worthy of the knowledge, so he knew this was just a mask. Beneath it was a man who was putting his very life under threat simply by stepping foot on this planet, let alone willingly entering the territory of his most dangerous enemies.

He knew that the man underneath the façade was Loki.

"Who are you?" Steve asked tersely.

"That is the Allfather, Odin," Thor replied, his face showing his bewilderment as well as his relief. "What are you doing here?"

"Contrary to what you may believe, I do not despise your mortal friend," Odin said sternly while the woman at his side rushed over to Daphne. Bucky tensed the moment she knelt beside them, not sure whether to trust her with the safety of his wife, before logic took over. He had no chance of saving her himself. As much as he hated to admit, he had literally nothing to lose in this situation. If this stranger could help Daphne, he would let her do so.

"We need to get her somewhere with more space," the woman said.

"The lab," Tony offered up immediately. "Any technology you may need should be down there too."

Pietro was by Bucky's side in a moment, gently scooping Daphne his arms and then disappearing off again. "Do not follow us," Odin ordered as he and the woman began to leave the room, following the trail of blue Pietro had left in his wake. "Distraction of any kind could be the difference between life and death for her. We will inform you if something changes." And then they too disappeared, and the rest were left to wait in ignorance.

* * *

Bucky clenched his fists tightly until the nails of his right hand bit into the palm of his hand, and his left arm started making unhealthily loud whirring noises, but he barely noticed. The only thing he was really aware of was the sound of his heart throbbing against the cage of his chest. It wasn't until he looked up and caught his reflection in the window that he realised he'd been biting his lip so hard it had begun to bleed. He shook his head, wiping the blood away and continuing to wear a hole in the floor.

Every second that passed felt like an age, and yet when he glanced at the clock and realised that only an hour of real time had passed, he couldn't stop the harsh curse from hissing its way out of his lips.

"She'll be okay, Buck," Steve said soothingly, but Bucky snapped back viciously at him in Russian before his mind had the chance to catch up with his mouth, and when it finally did he found he had absolutely no desire to take back or apologise for his words.

He couldn't keep the image of Daphne's face - pale, blood-stained, pained - out of his mind. It haunted him, and he knew it probably would for the rest of his life.

Another fifteen slow minutes passed. Bucky was at the end of his tether, and the moment the sky behind him began to fill up with fireworks, the fragile thread holding him back disintegrated. He spun on his heel and stalked towards the elevator.

"We were told not to follow," Pietro reminded him.

"So don't," Bucky replied sharply. "But I'm going down. I can't deal with not knowing anymore."

He was glad that no one decided to come after him, either to join him or stop him, he didn't care.

He thought he'd come down to chaos, so when the elevator doors opened and all he saw was an empty room, confusion hit him like a train. He stepped out into the room, his eyes scanning his surroundings. A shift of movement to his left caused him to move around a strangely positioned pillar, and there he saw Loki - in his true form - sagging against a counter. His face was alarmingly pale, his skin covered with sweat, and there was a subtle tremble to his limbs.

Loki glanced at Bucky when he noticed the assassin's entrance, and sent a wry grin his way. "You don't seem surprised to see me."

Bucky shrugged. "Daphne told me all about what happened up there. I know everything she knows."

Loki cocked an eyebrow. "And you're not going to attack me?"

Blinking, Bucky asked with genuine curiosity, "Why would I?"

"I tried to take over the world."

"You failed," he pointed out with a crooked grin, which quickly fell. "Besides, you've been a friend of Daphne's for decades, and you're also risking your life to help save hers. I can hardly complain." Bucky's brows furrowed. "Where is she?"

"In the next room," Loki grunted, gesturing weakly through an opaque, glass door. "I managed to safely get the Stone out of her, but that was the extent of my capabilities. Aeria is helping to close up Daphne's wounds. She was lucky - less than an inch to the right and the Stone would have torn straight out of her heart. No one could survive that."

"And does Aeria know about you?"

Loki nodded. "She does. I trust that woman with more than just my own life. Your wife is in safe hands, I promise."

"I don't doubt it," Bucky murmured, surprised to find how relaxed he suddenly was. While Loki hadn't explicitly stated that Daphne was going to be okay, it was strongly implied, and that helped to settle Bucky's nerves. "What are you going to do with the Time Stone?"

"Once the Stone was removed it disappeared again," Loki said, shifting his exhausted body into a more comfortable position. "Over the years this particular Infinity Stone has been kept under the safe watch of a few rather extraordinary humans. It is probably safer there than anywhere else."

Bucky nodded sharply. "Good. I don't want that thing going anywhere near her again."

Loki looked amused for a moment, before he seemed to remember something. He reached up blindly behind him and then passed Bucky Daphne's phone. "This started making a peculiar sound earlier. As far as I know, there was a message left on it. Since your wife is currently unable to respond, I thought you would be the next suitable recipient."

Bucky's face twisted into a crooked grin as he unlocked the phone. "Now what makes you think that?" he asked, sarcasm thickly layered into his voice. Loki just smirked. Bucky put the phone against his ear, his face falling and growing increasingly solemn as he listened to the news being told to him on the other end.

While he was listening, the brunette woman - Aeria, apparently - emerged from the next section of the lab, wiping her hands free of blood. She seemed completely unsurprised to see Bucky standing there, though her eyes skipped cautiously between the two males, as if she was afraid Bucky might suddenly lash out at Loki.

"She's awake and will be back to normal before long," she announced. "Even with the serum, it will take her a few days to completely heal. Make sure she doesn't move too strenuously, otherwise she might risk reopening her wounds."

Bucky nodded sharply, before pushing past her and moving towards the area where Daphne had been propped. Daphne rolled her head towards him and smiled weakly. "Hey, Bucky," she murmured, swinging her hand out and then tangling her fingers with his when he took it gently. "Guess I'm not invincible anymore. God forbid, I'm gonna have to be _careful_ now." Bucky smiled weakly, but he couldn't keep it in place, his head still whirling with the voice of the man on the other end of the phone. Daphne, of course, noticed immediately. "What is it?" she asked, pushing herself into a sitting position. Bucky hurried to help her, knowing she was too stubborn to lie back down but nonetheless hoping she wouldn't strain herself too much. "Bucky," Daphne murmured, placing her hand on his cheek, "what's wrong?"

Bucky cleared his throat quietly, finding it difficult to meet her eyes. "You had a phone call while you were out."

Daphne nodded. "I heard it ringing. Who was it? What did they say?"

"Daphne..." Bucky let out a long breath. "That was Jack."

Daphne froze, pulling her hand back. "Why?" she questioned sharply.

"It's Agatha," he admittedly slowly. "She's dying."


	15. 15 - The Eternal Sleep

**A/N: Hi guys. Don't know if anyone else is keeping count, but this is that last full-length chapter of this story. I've got half of the next one planned already, but I've still got my poll going, and I will do until this is finished. I'll probably post the epilogue on Wednesday. Let me know what you guys think! :)**

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* * *

 **15 - The Eternal Sleep**

"Miss, you really shouldn't-"

"Just leave it," Bucky snapped from behind me, while I pushed further ahead of him towards Agatha's room. I wasn't fully healed yet, even after the four and a half hour flight in one of Stark's personal jets to make it all the way out here. I wasn't as fast or as steady on my feet as usual, so Bucky's long and quick strides had him soon drawing level with me, and then his hand slipped into my own. I squeezed back hard, trying to establish whether or not this was real or just a nightmare.

I was beginning to fear that this really was happening.

I opened Agatha's door without knocking, finding a large group of people had already gathered. Jack was there, along with his and Agatha's children, Henry, Francis and Melanie, who were stood next in the middle of the main room with their spouses. Their children, David, Alice, Rebecca, Nathan and Kiera, were also all present, along with their respective partners. Agatha's grandkids, Yvonne, Caleb, Juliet, Riley, Marianne, Jonah, Harriet, Molly and Simon were also there, standing slightly to the side.

They all turned to face Bucky and I when we entered, and without a word Francis gestured to Agatha's bedroom. I inhaled shakily, before nudging the door open. I turned back when Bucky let go of my hand. "You're not coming?" I asked, internally panicking at the thought.

Bucky shook his head slowly. "No, I think you need to speak to her alone," he said with a gentle voice. "It was you she was asking for, not me."

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to drag up the strength to go through this, before I stepped into Agatha's room and shut the door behind me.

Agatha was lying in her bed, on her back with the covers wrapped around her body, and her arms by her sides above the duvet. It looked completely artificial, like she had been put in the bed that way and was unable to move into a position that was more comfortable. That broke my heart a little.

"Hey," I greeted quietly, walking towards the bed and sitting on the stool that lived under her vanity table.

Agatha smiled weakly at me. "You look like hell," she mumbled, voice weak.

I shrugged one shoulder. "I might have had an Infinity Stone rip its way out of my chest a few hours ago."

Agatha blinked, frowning. "Really?" I nodded, adjusting the neckline of my shirt a little so she could see the slowly healing wound. Agatha's eyes widened, and then a sad expression overtook her face. "You should be recovering, not coming all the way out here," she said firmly, though her voice still trembled slightly.

"Agatha," I said scoldingly, "you're worth more to me than that. I wouldn't let anything stop me from being here now, you understand? You asked for me, which only made me more determined to come."

"And if you make yourself worse in the process?"

"It would be worth it," I told her unfalteringly. "You're one of my best friends, Ags."

Agatha laughed sadly. "It can't have been easy, watching us all grow old while you remained frozen."

I shook my head. "It wasn't," I admitted. "But I'd rather watch my friends live happily and grow old than cut ties with them to spare myself."

Her lips twitched upwards slightly, before she started stretching her hand towards her bedside table. I shifted to help her, only to stop when she gave me a sharp glare. I couldn't help but smile, happy to discover my friend's spirit hadn't left her even with what was coming. She opened the door on her bedside table and pulled out a thick leather book. She gave me a small smile, before passing the book to me. I took it curiously, finding the cover to be unmarked. After glancing at my friend again, I opened the book to the first page, and my breath instantly caught in my throat. I flicked through the first dozen or so pages with wide eyes, seeing photos of Agatha and I together, or Agatha and Jack, and her kids made an appearance later in the book. Half of the photos from the 30s and 40s I couldn't really remember being taken, and in a few I had my back turned, so likely didn't even know.

"I've been making that since you left in '53," Agatha said, and I lifted my hazy eyes to meet hers. They were so soft, so kind... And all of that was for me. "We both knew this day was coming. I wanted to make sure I had something to give you. You quite possibly saved my life the day we met. I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for that."

I shook my head, smiling tearfully. "You don't need to thank me for that," I murmured, closing the book and resting it on my lap. "You don't need to thank me for anything."

Agatha smiled and held out a hand, and I slid off the stool onto my knees, grasping her hand in both of mine as I knelt beside her bed. "You should be thanked for everything," she whispered, her voice coming out hoarse. "No matter what anyone else says, no matter who tries to disagree, you are a good woman, Evelyn. Your heart and soul are battered and bruised, but remain pure nonetheless." She coughed slightly, before something of a dazed smiled stretched across her face. "Oh," she breathed, her eyes scanning the air, as if she could see something that I could not. Her little smile widened to the brightest smile I'd ever seen, and her eyes met mine again. "My mother is calling me," she said weakly, her grip on my hand loosened.

"Then go to her," I whispered back, fighting back the tears. "She has waited long enough, and so have you. Go."

Agatha nodded, still beaming. "Yes, I think that is true." She winked at me, her face slipping slightly. "I'll give your love to Edward." A weak twitch of her lips followed those words, before she closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh. No other breaths followed, and the hand that rested between my own relaxed and fell limp.

I bowed my head, trying to push back the insistent ache in my eyes, but the tears fell anyway. I kept hold of her hand, feeling the frail bones and cool skin beneath my fingers. I swallowed back my sorrow as best I could, letting go of her hand and standing up. For a moment, I simply looked at her, taking in the expression of eternal peace on her face. I knew she was gone, had seen death so many times, yet I couldn't help but place my hand over her chest that no longer rose or fell, that contained no beating heart. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to her forehead, murmuring my last goodbye to her in my head. For a fleeting moment, I could have sworn I heard a whisper of a reply.

Then I pulled back, picked up the book she gave me, and turned away. When the door snapped closed behind me, I knew that I would have to lock that part of me away somewhere, along with all the others I'd seen die. At least this time I knew she was happy and at peace when she passed. She did not fear her death. I took comfort in that knowledge - in knowing that she had gone without fear or pain.

I met the eyes of her family, and no words were spoken. They didn't need words - one look at me and they knew. Tears fell silently, sobs were let out, heads were bowed, and the smaller branches of Agatha's family wrapped themselves around each other in order to provide comfort.

Bucky appeared by my side and wrapped an arm around my waist, kissing my temple tenderly, before leaning his cheek on my head. While he hadn't known Agatha all that well, I could feel the tension in his body, and knew that he also was affected by Agatha's passing.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, lips brushing against the shell of my ear.

"I want to leave," I admitted.

"Alright," Bucky murmured, kissing my head again before pulling away from me and heading towards Jack. The two talked for maybe thirty seconds, nodded to one another, and then Bucky made his way towards me again. I gave my friend a shaky smile, accepting the hand that my husband offered. The two of us left the family to mourn their loss, while Bucky and I simply ambled through the corridor in a heavy silence.

We left the building still hand-in-hand, our rental car not too far away from where we came to a stop. I let out a long sigh, leaning my forehead against Bucky's shoulder. He wrapped both arms around me, rubbing my back soothingly.

"I thought this wouldn't happen," I told him. "In my heart, I knew it would, but somehow I managed to convince myself that everything would always go the way I wanted it to."

"There are some things that even you can't chase away, Daphne," Bucky said tenderly, running his fingers through my hair. "Everyone will die, and that's the brutal truth of life. I think we all live for a reason, we all have a purpose. The end for us is predetermined, and we have no way to fight it. She found her peace before the end."

"Doesn't make this any easier," I grumbled, pulling back slightly. "Everything was going so well. We'd finally managed to establish a life for ourselves, and then everything just flipped on us again. The Stone, now this. As much as we want to fight it, we're never getting away from death and danger, are we? It follows us like iron to a magnet. The best you can do is just accept its there."

"Hydra raised us on the idea that death and blood were perfectly normal," Bucky said, his voice strangely calm despite the fact he was mentioning the name of an organisation he despised even more than I did. "That's not something you can just throw away on a whim. It stays. It lingers. We see death everywhere because we expect it to appear. It's a part of us, Daph. I don't think we're ever going to be free of what they did to us."

I sighed heavily, nodding. "You're right. We're not."

There was a moment where Bucky just held me, and I held him, and everything fell into place. I closed my eyes and savoured this moment, because I knew it wouldn't last.

Clearly Fate agreed.

Bucky and I both flinched violently when a blast of flame and heat hit us, causing us both to stumble away from the care home. I stared with wide eyes as the building ignited in a fiery ball of orange and yellow flame, billowing outwards, filling every inch of the rooms inside and escaping through the sections destroyed by the blast. The noise reverberated over the town as efficiently as a thunder clap, the billowing fist of black smoke rising hundreds of feet in the air.

For a second I was numb, simply staring at the building as it was consumed by the burning flames. Then my mind started to work again, and a strangled cry left my lips. " _No!_ " I tried to run towards the building but Bucky caught me by the arms and held me back, needing to use both arms to cancel out my strength. "Let me go! Jack!"

"Daphne," Bucky hissed in my ear, starting to drag me away from the inferno. "Stop. Think."

I let out a sob, my will to fight disappearing like a teardrop in water. My legs shook as I collapsed back against Bucky's chest, allowing him to pull me towards the car. He kept one hand on my arm as he opened the door, before gently directing me into the passenger seat. He then straightened up, slammed the door shut, and raced to the driver side. He was in his seat and had the car moving within five seconds, racing down the street with no regard to any laws.

It took a few minutes, but eventually my logical mind took over my emotional one, and I started to think about what had just happened. "Cameras?" I asked, voice still slightly croaky from shouting.

"Two," came the immediate response. "On either side of the parking lot. Both looked like they were damaged by the blast, but that doesn't mean what they captured beforehand is irretrievable."

"Do you think someone set us up?" I asked, straightening slightly in my chair.

Bucky sighed. "It's difficult to say," he admitted. "I didn't detect anyone anywhere nearby, but you don't have to be right next to a place to blow it up anymore." He glanced at me, weaving through the traffic with ease despite our speed. "Either way, we're probably the only possible suspects right now. Which means-"

"We have to hide again," I finished glumly, smacking my head back against the headrest. "Vera?"

Bucky hesitated, before saying slowly, "We can't risk going back to the Tower. They'll look after her."

"So where?"

"Back to the farm," he said decisively. "We go back to the farm, pack up whatever we need to go into hiding, and leave."

I sighed. "We have to tell them _something_."

"We can leave a note in the basement," Bucky said, slowing down as we neared the airport. "Pietro and Wanda know that it exists. They'll probably think to look down there eventually."

Running my hands over my face, I asked wearily, "How long?"

Bucky sighed. "I don't know," he muttered quietly. "There may be no minimum amount of time."

I shook my head. "No, there will," I said firmly. "At most, we have until this time next year."

"Is this something you know from your world? Another movie?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Except this time it'll be one that I haven't seen. I'm in the dark from here on out. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that it'll be bad."

"How bad is 'bad'?" Bucky questioned cautiously, like he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.

I hesitated for a moment. "Bad enough to tear the Avengers apart," I said at last. I blinked a few times, looking at him, eyeing the tension in his jaw. I sighed. "We're splitting up, aren't we?" I asked weakly.

Bucky nodded, looking pained even as he did so. "If they look for us, they'll be expecting us to be together. It might give us a better chance."

"I only just got you back."

Bucky reached over with his right hand and squeezed my own, running his thumb over my knuckles. "This isn't goodbye," he promised. "We'll see each other again. We go our separate ways for now, throw them off our scent. Then, when we've got a little more freedom, we can meet each other again."

"Where?"

He gave me a half-amused look. "Where do you think?"

Smiling softly, I nodded. "Alright, Bucky. But if you're not there when I look for you, I swear to God-"

"I know," Bucky said softly, giving my hand another squeeze before moving it back to the wheel.

"You know we might be overthinking things here," I murmured as Bucky pulled the car into the rental car area in the airport. "We don't know that we'll even be under suspicion."

"And if we're not, we can go back to the Tower at any time," Bucky reminded me with a smile, but it was fake, and it faded after a second or two. "It's better to be safe."

Nodding my head, I opened the door and got out of the car, noticing Bucky doing the same thing on the other side of the car. We met each other halfway and immediately clasped hands, heading towards the airport. Eight more hours, I worked out mentally. Eight hours, at most, before we split up.

This was going to be hell.


	16. Epilogue

**A/N: Hi guys (again)! I promised an update, and here it is. I hope you all liked this story, and thank you all for reading. The next story will be called Loyalty Burns Like A Flame, and I'll post the first chapter within the next few days, so for those of you who want to stay with me, keep an eye out for that, though I'll post a little note on this to let you know when it's up.**

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 **Lara Barnes: Yeah, sorry about that. It's okay though, because it's not like anyone can keep them away forever.**

 **Guest: Yep, Civil War will be part of the next story.**

* * *

 **Epilogue:**

"They didn't do it," Pietro said stubbornly, arms folded over his chest.

"No one here is saying they did," Natasha reminded him.

The group had grown concerned when Bucky and Daphne didn't get back from their trip to Canada, and had gone in search of their friends. They rendezvoused at the couple's farm, all ending up with no idea where the two could have gone. Tony had suggested they check the news, and the first thing they saw had their concern sky-rocketing. Footage was being shown on every single news channel of a care home in Vancouver surrounded by fire-fighters who were desperately trying to put out the flames. Then they showed footage of Bucky and Daphne standing in front of the building in a tight embrace, before there was a bright flash of flame and the video cut off. Police forces from all over both Canada and America had put out a call for the arrest of the Avengers' friends, who had disappeared.

"Hey, guys!" Steve called, and everyone turned to see him coming down the stairs with a black duffel bag in his hands. "This was all that was left in their room, apart from a few clothes," he told them. "They must have come back here and cleared out completely."

"Did they leave anything that might tell us where they went?" Tony asked, fully outfitted in his Iron Man suit, though the helmet was currently off.

Steve shook his head. "Not that I could see. If they did, it wasn't up there."

Pietro and Wanda (who had a sleeping baby in her arms) exchanged looks. "The basement," they realised at the same time, before Pietro disappeared in a whirl of blue to find the switches to open the basement. Wanda gestured to the others to follow her, before leading the way down to the basement. Pietro joined them again just as Natasha jumped down from above, and then the man pressed the correct brick on the wall. The rest of the Avengers watched in awe as the wall disappeared, revealing the well-stocked weapons room.

"So this is where all my weapons went," Tony mused. "I did wonder where they hid them."

"Some of them are missing," Wanda pointed out, gesturing to the empty spaces on the shelves and in the compartments.

"Here," Natasha said, picking up a piece of folded paper from the wall. She read the front. "It's from Daphne," she informed them. "It's her handwriting, I'm sure of it."

"What does it say?" Steve asked. Natasha glanced up at her friends for a moment, before opening the letter and reading it aloud.

* * *

 _Hey, guys._

 _Since you're reading this now, I'm guessing you've heard what happened. First of all, I'd like to say it wasn't us. We suspect someone wanted to make it look like it was though, so for the time being we've decided to go dark. We couldn't risk going back to the Tower, since that's probably the first place the police will look, so we're trusting you to look after Vera for us._

 _We don't know how long this will last. Maybe it'll be a week. Maybe it'll be a year. We can't contact you between now and the time we get back, so this will have to do for you guys. Try not to draw too much attention to yourselves while we're gone._

 _This may come as a surprise, but we're splitting up. It's safer for us both if we're alone, because everyone will expect us to be together. It should give us a little more breathing room. We haven't actually discussed it, but I think both of us are going to try to work out who it was that did this. Agatha's entire family was in that building when it blew, so I, for one, am eager to discover who pulled the trigger._

 _I've got Felix with me, so don't worry about having to go looking for him. But please make sure the horses are cared for. Sell them if you must, just don't let them go hungry._

 _We love you all, and want to thank you for everything you've done for us in the past year. Look after each other, stay together. Believe me when I say the next year is not gonna be easy on you guys._

 _Stay safe, and try to stop each other from doing anything especially reckless, hey? You're not allowed to start World War Three without us._

 _See you whenever, I guess._

 _Daphne._

* * *

Daphne and Bucky watched from the forest nearest to their driveway as the Avengers descended into the basement, then turned to one another. Bucky took Daphne's face in both hands and pulled her close, kissing her firmly. Their lips met with such force and passion it was like she was his last breath. She clung to his shoulders, never wanting to let go, but knowing she'd have no choice.

"I love you," she whispered when they drew back.

"I love you too," Bucky said in return, before pecking her lips again and pulling away. They headed towards separate cars, Felix trotting faithfully behind Daphne, and without backwards glances at both the farmhouse or each other, they drove in opposite directions towards the unknown. They both refused to see this as a goodbye. It wasn't. They'd see each other again. Even if it was the last thing they ever did, they both silently swore to themselves that they would see one another at least one more time before the end.


	17. Book Five Posted!

**Hi guys, Ec1aire here. Just thought I'd tell you that I've posted the first chapter of the next story in this series. It's called Loyalty Burns Like A Flame, so check it out. See you soon :)**


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